Diminishment
by Koechophe
Summary: This in-depth fan fiction uses the plot of The Minish Cap as a template to form an Epic Fantasy story. It is a first person narrative written from the perspective of Link, a devoted guard of the King's. His story book life is shattered when he jumps in front of a curse meant for the king that turns him into a child. To regain his life, he seeks to break the curse and defeat Vaati.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Sometimes, I wonder what "enough" is, in terms of duty. It often appears to us mere mortals as an unachievable height. A level of work and devotion so high that it may never be reached, and rightly so, for without it, there would be nothing to work towards. Yet at the same time, were duty never to be fulfilled, then a higher responsibility couldn't replace it. Perhaps the true question is not whether one's met their duty "enough", but rather, how much fulfillment the duty itself warrants.

I am no stranger to duty. I have governed my entire life around duties and responsibilities. From a very young age, I charged myself with protecting my childhood friend from those who would harm him. That meant enrolling myself into the knight's academy at the tender age of eight, when most could barely pass the strict requirements at twelve. It meant training day and night, building my strength, keeping vigilent and ignoring temptation. I work among the finest guards in all the kingdom, and even they do not have the strong, insurmountable duty that I possess. But their charge is only a king to them; to me, it is a beloved friend.

I have known the king since we were both young boys, playing in the fields or learning to ride horses together. Prince Javian was constantly surrounded by the children of the nobles, but I was the only one whom he actually called a friend. Such an honor is, to this day, hard for me to accept, and I will forever be working towards making myself worthy to receive it. With my bloodline, I could've easily become a Duke or a Chancellor. But I swore to protect Javian, and the quill of a noble would do nothing to stop the blade of an assassin. So, to the dismay of my pretentious family, I chose the lowly sword instead.

It led me to a good life. While I no longer can speak to King Javian with the candor of a child, he still seeks my council, still treats me like an equal, even though I am so very far below him. I developed a close kinship with one of the king's servants, and after courting her for only weeks, she happily agreed to be my wife. She, like I, served the king diligently. But my wages as a guard payed enough to allow her to leave work, and start a family with me.

Together, we built a rickety little home at the edge of town, and we had three children. A little boy with her beautiful red hair, and my strange green eyes, and twin girls who even as toddlers look exactly like their mother, with warm, brown eyes and soft, curly hair. While it is my duty to protect my king, I live for the moment when I walk through the door, and my children jump into my arms, and my wife gently rises off of her rocking chair, and wraps her arms around me as well. If I close my eyes, I can almost feel the arms of my family, so soft and warm...

"Wake Up," I tell myself sternly. Many good men have died because those who were supposed to protect them let their guard down. This tournament would be the perfect opportunity for an assassin to attack the king. He's exposed, in his seat at the very top of the arena. And the guards are either bored of the poor swordsmanship, or distracted by the rare, talented warriors. Edgily, I move closer to Javian, and place my hand on the hilt of my sword.

"Relax, Link. I believe you are capable of both guarding me and enjoying yourself," He says gently.

"I apologize, my liege, but these warriors do not merit my attention," I reply. All the same, I take my hand off of the hilt. He is the king, and it is my duty to follow all of the orders he gives, however foolish I believe them to be. Were he to order that I jump off into the fighting below, I would do so without a moment's hesitation.

"Indeed. I do wish you would enter yourself into this tournament. Perhaps it would help the public, to know that their king is being protected by the very best."

"With respect, your majesty, if I were fighting below, then who would be guarding you?" I ask, smiling. "Besides, it is not the place of a knight to seek adoration. Far better that your assailants are left in the dark about my skill with a blade, so that they may discover it only at their own demise."

"I suppose there is wisdom in that. Still, your contribution would make this much less intolerable," King Javian responds, frowning in distaste. I nod in agreement; thus far, the duelists all would've been kicked out of the Knight's academy, and that's where mere children train.

For three grueling, uneventful hours, the fighting continues. Admittedly, a few bright spots fill the monotony, making things bearable. But were it not for my warrior's discipline, I would've fallen asleep several times. Even Javian has a hard time keeping his eyes open.

Anyone can enter into the Swordsmanship Tournament, so long as they bring their own blade. And the winner receives the finest sword that the castle Smith can craft, as well as the honor of touching the legendary Blade of Salvation. It is said that those who touch the Blade of Salvation are cleansed of all evil, and given an almost magical calm. Though I've never put much stock in magic.

In the last round of the preliminaries, I see one of my fellow guards, Seviller, enter the arena below. Despite the fact that I urged the rest of the guards not to enter, seeing him fills me with relief. Perhaps, with one of the king's guards in the fray, the fighting may grow a bit more interesting, and the honor of touching the Blade of Salvation will fall on someone who actually deserves it.

He stands alone in the arena for a long while, awaiting the entrance of his opponent. Finally, he arrives. As the man walks through the large, ornate doors leading to the battlefield, there's an almost collective sigh from the audience. Seviller is adorned from head to toe in the finest of steel armor, bearing a fine longsword and a large kite shield, with the emblem of the king painted on the front. The stranger, in contrast, wears simple clothing, and only carries a short sword that looks so pathetic that it might as well be a dagger.

He lingers in the shadows, rather than stepping forwards into the sunlight. After an awkward pause, the announcer shouts, "For the final duel in round one, it will be Seviller, the noble guard, fighting… Vaati, the, uh, stranger." Clearly this "Vaati" fellow told them nothing about himself before entering.

Seviller, ever cautious, slowly walks forwards, but doesn't move beyond the center of the arena. Were I in his shoes, I would do the same thing; remaining in the center gives you room on all sides, should it be needed either defensively or offensively.

Vaati sighs, and slowly comes into the sunlight. My preconceptions about him being weak are completely shattered when I see his face. His very skin seems to extrude darkness, perpetually plunging him in shadow. He has the deathly grey pallor of a corpse, and the wrinkles of an old man. But by his unassuming height and his small, soft features, I would call him a child, no more than eighteen years old. His expression, one of smug superiority, also adds to the sense of worry he emits. But mostly, his eyes, a bright, cruel red, make him appear to be the most threatening figure I've ever seen. And… there's something more. Something about him sends shivers of fear up my spine. Somehow, I understand now why he doesn't wear armor or carry a longer sword.

He doesn't need it.

"Please do relax, Link," the king says once more. "Perhaps now that we have a guard dueling, we'll see some real swordsmanship." Vaguely, I realize that once again, I'm gripping my sword. This time, it's in a grip so strong that my knuckles are turning white. But I don't let go; when the king says "please", it is not an order, but rather a request. And I am free to ignore his requests as I see fit.

"Sire," I whisper urgently, "There's something wrong here. I believe this stranger puts us all in grave danger. I would strongly urge you to leave, right now."

"Why do you believe that?" King Javian asks, genuinely confused.

"I… I do not know, sire. But if nothing else, the look of him is enough to put any warrior on edge."

"Odd. I find the man to be rather dashing, all things considered. He has a strong face. In fact, he looks much like you. Is that what you find disconcerting?"

"He looks… like me?" I ask incredulously. Either I've undergone some hideous transformation, or the king and I are seeing two very different people.

"Yes, Link. He has your short, blond hair, your large stature, your dark, tan skin. His armor even looks similar to yours. The only notable difference is that his eyes are blue, not green. A very handsome fellow, all things considered."

"Sire," I say in a low, dark voice, "Something is very, very wrong." The stranger has long, grey hair, not blond hair. He's small, and so twiggy that it surprises me that he can even lift the sword he carries. And he isn't wearing any sort of armor; he dons a purple tunic, covered by a flowing, black cape.

"Nonesense. The man is perfectly normal. Looking similar to the leader of my guards is not a crime, and provides no real threat. I certainly will not leave just because it makes you uncomfortable, and it shocks me that you would suggest it. I will hear no more from you on the subject of this stranger. Understood?" Suddenly, his voice is not that of my friend Javian, but of the mighty king, whose voice is heard above all others.

For the first time in my life, I legitimately consider disobeying his command. But on the day in which I was knighted into the protection of the king, in the moment that he placed his sword atop my head, he said that the highest duty I had, above even protecting him, was trusting him and obeying his commands. I know, deep in my heart, that this man represents the biggest threat to the king that I've ever encountered. But the king has commanded that I be silent on the matter. And I live to obey the commandments of the king.

But I do not remove my hand from my sword at any time.

Slowly, the stranger Vaati moves towards Seviller. Seviller bangs his sword against his shield, drawing a few, disjointed cheers. But the rest of the onlookers are gazing directly at Vaati, almost as though they're in a trance. It occurs to me that the sigh they uttered when he entered the arena was not a sigh of pity, as I took it to be, but a sigh of adoration. They must see Vaati as what the king does; a strong, handsome warrior.

Vaati remains still, and abruptly starts grinning, revealing yellow, rotten teeth. For no apparent reason, Seviller begins swinging his sword about, as though he's attacking an invisible foe. The crowd, to my astonishment, starts cheering them on. "See Link," the king says knowingly, "it's good that we stayed. You may actually learn something of swordsmanship from this talented stranger."

For a grueling few minutes, Seviller fights his non-existent foe, all while Vaati stays back, grinning. Soon enough, he has Seviller pinned to the wall, and he raises both arms in surrender. Vaati waits for a few moments, then walks into the center of the arena, and takes a bow.

"I do wish you would have entered. A duel between you and this "Vaati" would be incredible. I myself do not know who would win."

I nod, and remain silent, as per the instructions of my king.

The tournament continues much in the same manner. Every time the stranger comes up to fight, he simply stands in the shadows as his foe is defeated by a warrior I cannot even see. The king occasionally comments on how talented the stranger is, and I suppress my desire to tell him that, in my eyes, the stranger has done nothing but stand still, grinning his smug, arrogant grin. My level of concern only rises as I see him slowly make his way to the top of the tournament, and come out victorious.

"It is my honor to announce this year's winner as Vaati, of the house of…" The announcer trails off awkwardly, and looks to Vaati for an answer. Vaati smiles, but remains silent. Shrugging, he moves on. "Thank you all for attending this unique tournament. Fare well."

The crowd gently disperses, and, smiling, the king rises from his seat. "Sire," I say quickly, before he can leave to congratulate Vaati. "I know that, traditionally, the victor receives their blade and touches the sword in a private ceremony, with only the royal family present. However, traditionally, the victor is a trusted warrior who grew up in the kingdom and has pledged their allegiance to you. With respect, we know nothing about this stranger, and I would be remiss if I did not recommend that you allow a few guards to watch the ceremony, for your protection."

"Agreed. The thought had occurred to me that Vaati may have entered for the sole purpose of getting me alone. That he may be an assassin from another kingdom. Of course I will have guards present under these circumstances. I had decided that the moment he entered the tournament. I would appreciate a little more faith from you, Link."

"I apologize, your majesty," I reply, my tone colored with shame.

King Javian nods. A bit more gently, he asks, "Is this all that is bothering you?"

"No, my liege. But you ordered me to still my tongue on the matter of Vaati. And… were I to tell you what concerns me, you'd think me insane."

"Best, then, to keep silent," He agrees. "All the same, keep vigilant throughout the ceremony, in case your fears are justified."

"You wish me to witness the ceremony?" I ask hesitantly.

"Of course. You are without a doubt the finest guard among my ranks. It would be wise for me to seek your protection." My face reddens a bit at the compliment and, not for the first time, I appreciate the helmet which masks my expression.

The king nods. "Follow me," he instructs, as he climbs down towards the arena. Respectfully, the remaining members of the crowd part, bowing as he walks past them. Like a wave, the whole arena bows, showing respect for their king. I myself bow my head.

But the stranger, Vaati, remains perfectly upright, looking down on the rest of us with derision.

"Bow before the king," I hiss at him, as we finally reach the floor of the arena. He laughs, and, mockingly, bows for a split second. The king smiles, completely missing the superiority on Vaati's face. I have to wonder what the bow looked like coming from the handsome warrior the king sees.

"I congratulate you on your accomplishment, noble warrior," The king says grandly.

"And you on yours, fine king," Vaati responds. I feel the sudden, childish urge to punch this cocky stranger in the face. His voice is like that of a child's; high and nasally. But the dark sarcasm in it makes it so annoyingly superior that I wish I could literally cut him down to size.

But the king, as before, is completely oblivious to it. He probably hears a deep, respectful voice, just as he sees a strong, respectful warrior. "Indeed. The victor's ceremony shall now commence. If you'll follow me into the castle, you shall receive your rewards."

"I can't wait," He replies, snickering.

Without another word, the king turns and leads Vaati out of the arena and into the castle. Along the way, he instructs me to bring as many guards as I see fit into the ceremony. So I gather all of them who I can find. By the time we arrive, a small army of fifty four guards follow my every step, their armor clanking in almost perfect unison. We move to the courtyard outside the vault, and Zelda, the king's daughter, is already waiting there, holding the smith's sword. She's only seven years old, but she still stands with the grace of a lady, and carries the regal air of royalty with her. If the king bears no male heir, then she will make a fine queen to her people.

Moving with uncanny grace for one so young, Zelda walks towards Vaati, and gently hands him the sword, bowing her head gently. He nods, and tries to grab onto it with one hand. But the heavy blade appears to be too much for him, so he simply drops it. The people around me all must see something different, as they all politely clap for him.

"And now, for the Blade of Salvation," The king says grandly. "Link, fetch it from the vault." He pulls a large, golden key off of his neck. Carefully, I accept it. The shiny golden key looks wrong in my worn, steel gauntlet.

The huge, steel door to the vault opens with the turn of the little gold key. Nervously, I make my way into the vault. It isn't terribly large, but the small, dark room is filled to the brim with priceless treasures. Gems, weaponry, paintings… every form of wealth imaginable fills the vault of the kingdom. But I move past it quickly; the king tasked me with bringing out the Sword of Salvation, not with admiring the riches.

At the end of the room lies a large chest with a gleaming, clear sword slammed on top of it. I know, just by looking at it, that this must be the Sword of Salvation. Even in the almost complete darkness of the vault, it glows gently, and makes the room feel warm. For a split second, I'm tempted to touch the beautiful blade. But that's an honor that I have not earned.

Instead, I carry the heavy chest, up the stairs and back into the sunlight. There's an almost collective gasp from everyone in the courtyard as they glimpse the beautiful blade. Except for Vaati. He instead starts laughing.

A loud, raucous laugh escapes his lips, and he makes no effort to contain it. He throws his head back and laughs, the sound sending fear through me. Strangely enough, the other guards and even the king share the same look.

"What have you done with Vaati?" The king demands, taking a step back.

"You fool," Vaati replies, laughing once more. "I am Vaati. I have always looked like this. The warrior you saw was a simple deception. Your weak minds were so very easy to fool."

"Whether or not this is your real appearance, you are not the man who won the tournament. Surrender the sword, and my guards will escort you out of my kingdom. You will no longer be welcome here," King Javian says bitingly.

Vaati laughs once more. "All right, good king, I'll 'surrender the sword'," He replies, grinning. Without any movement on his part, a strange, thick mist of darkness surrounds the sword and gently lifts it into the air. Then, with blinding speed, it hurls itself at the king. Barely, I'm able to draw my own sword and deflect it, so it simply speeds harmlessly into the wall.

Immediately, the guards rush at the stranger. "Fools!" I think to myself. The highest goal of a guard is to protect the king. Charging at the clearly powerful stranger will only serve to enrage him, and it will make it difficult to protect the king from further harm. Instead, they should have formed a protective circle around him.

Vaati laughs once more. This time, he raises his arms, and thrusts them out at the guards. A shockwave of pure, black energy blasts forwards, knocking them off their feet. As it comes over me, it pushes me over, but doesn't really hurt. None of the other guards rise off of the ground, and they clearly aren't smart enough to feign weakness, so they're probably unconscious. So, like them, I lie on the ground, pretending the wave knocked me out. Fortunately, it stopped before it reached the king or his daughter.

"Wonderful!" Vaati exclaims, clapping his hands. "And now, allow me to touch the Sword of Salvation." Grinning, he reaches over and pushes his hand on the blade, sliding a long, yellow fingernail down it. The pure, clear blade seems to shudder at his touch, and, before my eyes, it breaks cleanly in half.

"Stop this at once!" King Javian shouts. Vaati ignores him. Brushing aside the broken blade, he opens the chest it was stabbed through. A massive wave of darkness pours out, and quickly rises above our heads. But beyond that, there's nothing in the chest, save the other half of the sword he broke.

"What?!" Vaati asks, looking around. "Where is he?" For the first time, Vaati's face doesn't look superior. He looks terrified.

Bellowing unintelligibly, Vaati turns to the king once more. "Where have you stashed him?!" He screams. The king doesn't respond.

"Tell me, or your daughter dies!" Vaati shouts, sending a ball of darkness at Zelda. She backs away, but it reaches her, and pushes her up against the wall.

"I… I do not know who you are talking about. Please, don't touch her," The king whispers. He sounds so very defeated.

Vaati scowls, and the darkness picks Zelda up and slams her against the wall. I can hear her bones snap, see her frail, lifeless body fall to the floor.

"No…" Javian whispers, his voice cracking.

"Where's your pride now, oh mighty king?" Vaati sneers. "You act so strong, but at your heart, you're such a baby. Allow me to help you act your own age."

Vaati grins, and pushes his hands out at the king. A ball of darkness flies at him, moving with incredible speed. I'm not sure how, but I know that it would hurt the king. Despite his cocky words, Vaati is panicking, because he didn't find whatever he was looking for. He's acting out of a place of fear. And fear is the strongest motivation there is. The assassin who seeks to kill with anger will often fail without any intervention on my part. It's the assassin moved by fear that I must stop.

And now, Vaati is that assassin.

Before the darkness can reach the king, I jump to my feet. Time seems to slow down, allowing me to appreciate the fact that I could easily be killing myself by blocking the darkness. But I made the promise to sacrifice everything for the king long ago. So it's not really a decision. I only wish that my family didn't have to suffer for it. But our king is kind. When I die in his service, I know he will take care of them.

Even though it's probably foolish, I close my eyes before jumping at the darkness. I can feel it hit me, and I can feel the raw, magical power it contains. But some part of me, some strange, new part that I've never noticed before, comes alive, and begins fighting that power. My body turns into a war between Vaati's horrible darkness and a strange sense of light within myself. After mere seconds, the fighting becomes unbearable, and I fall to the floor.

Through the fog of extreme tiredness, I feel… wrong. As my body hits the floor, I know that something's wrong. All of my sensations, all of my proportions, all of… _me_ feels different. But I'm far too tired to stay awake long enough to figure it out.

Barely, I catch Vaati's last words. "Forget it, I'll deal with your groveling pet later. Goodbye, king Javian. We will meet again."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After floating in a heavy unconsciousness, I slowly come to. I'm surrounded by soft, warm blankets on all sides, and I'm resting on a bed that's more luxurious than anything I've ever felt before. Despite myself, I sigh in comfort.

And immediately, I sit bolt upright. My sigh sounds… wrong. It's too high, too soft. I clear my throat, but there's nothing there, and that sounds wrong too. And it's not just that I sound wrong. I feel wrong. My whole body feels just… different.

"You're awake," A servant gasps as she's walking through the door, almost dropping the tray she's carrying.

I nod. Nodding is better, because it doesn't draw any attention to the fact that everything feels so very wrong. I know that I took a curse for the king. I know that it must have done something for me, and that if I wanted to, it would take only seconds to figure it out. But I just don't want to know. Because if I don't know, I can pretend that everything is okay.

"How are you feeling?" She asks gently. I simply remain silent.

"Uhm, would you like some food, or something to drink?" She hastily puts down the tray, and offers me a fine silver goblet, filled with warm apple cider. The smell alone makes my mouth water, but I don't accept it. It would require moving.

"Do you, err, know what happened?" The woman asks tentatively.

I shake my head, giving her a withering look. Normally, I wouldn't dare show such disrespect. But disrespect helps mask my terror, whereas respect would parade it out in the open.

"I'm sorry, but the king has tasked me with making sure you understand what happened. He wanted you to know what you saved him from," The servant says sadly. Sighing, she reaches into her dress, and pulls out a large, ornate mirror.

I manage to look away before I see anything reflected there. But, after a few moments, I realize that I'm going to have to face whatever happened to me. I can't just pretend that everything is the same, because I can feel how very different everything is, in every inch of my body. So, hesitantly, I turn my head back towards the mirror, and gaze upon the face it reflects.

I can't help but gasp at my own reflection. My face is small, so very small. My blond hair, normally cut short in the style of warriors, is long, and it hangs with the slightest curl over my forehead. My features are soft, and my proportions are all wrong. My cheeks are too big, my jaw too small, my green eyes too large. The skin is soft, and clear of all the impurities that age brings. Despite the differences, I recognize the face. It's the face I had years and years ago.

The face of a child.

My mind immediately begins reeling, trying to accept the undeniable evidence of my own eyes. I know that I have only seconds before the implications overpower me. And, more than anything, I want to be alone for that.

"Get out," I mutter, my voice lacking all of the strength and command it once bore.

"Do you need-"

"Get out!" I scream. She nods, and rushes out of the room, leaving me alone. For a few seconds, I simply stare down at my small, thin body in disgust. There isn't armor that fits around this gentle form. These legs can't carry me with speed and grace. These arms can't hold a sword, or a shield. No, this isn't the body of a knight anymore.

But worse, these small hands can't patch a hole in my home's leaky roof. These hands can't tuck a troubled child into bed at night. This thin, reedy voice can't profess love to my beautiful wife. These little knees aren't big enough to hold a child on them. And these arms aren't strong enough to protect them from all of the darkness of the world.

How am I supposed to be a warrior when a simple gust of wind could knock this light frame over? How am I supposed to be father, when my thirteen year old boy is probably older than me? And how on earth am I supposed to be husband when my wife is old enough to be my mother?

I manage to hold the emotions back for a few seconds. But fighting them is futile. The sadness and despair overpower me, leaving me curled up in a little ball, sobbing. I can't even remember the last time that I cried. I've been so very happy. I had worked my entire life for the moment in which I could be what I was just yesterday; a strong warrior and a good father. And now, that's been ripped out of my hands.

I keep crying, for who knows how long. Every time I try to stop, I see my own face in the mirror. It looks like a pathetic little kid, crying because he wants attention. This face demands no respect.

Grown men weep, and they're admired for it. Children cry, and they're pitied and mocked.

Through my complete breakdown, I somehow hear a gentle knock on the door. I would tell whoever it is to go away, but I have no desire to hear my voice again. So instead, I remain silent, hoping they'll just go away.

Instead, King Javian walks through the door.

I try, in vayne, to compose myself. As he draws close to me, I rise to my feet and perform an instinctual bow. I now stand barely half as tall as the man I used to tower above.

"No, you do not bow to me," The king says firmly. I can't help but laugh. Partly because I've always bowed before the king, and it's so heavily ingrained in my nature that I doubt I could stop even if I wanted to. And partly because the small, insignificant gesture he made means nothing, nothing compared to what I've lost.

"Are you… okay?" He asks gently.

"In what sense?" I murmur. I try to keep my voice low and respectful, but it's still painfully high.

"Are you wounded?" He clarifies.

"No. I feel weak, and very sore, but there aren't any real injuries," I answer, like I'm giving him a report.

The king nods, and looks at me for a moment. In a quiet, heavy voice, he says, "I… I cannot begin to express how-"

"Please don't," I interrupt him. "I appreciate the sentiment, but please spare me the gratitude. I did my duty as your guard. Nothing more."

"Link, you took a curse that was meant for me. No one would've faulted you for fainting, like the other guards, yet you still saved me. You deserve more gratitude and appreciation than I could possibly bestow upon you."

"It was my duty," I whisper, tears dripping down my face. Will these accursed eyes ever stop crying?

"No, it was not. You can try to write this off, but it goes far beyond the simple duty of a guard. You showed real honor, and devotion as a friend. Thank you, Link. From the bottom of my heart, thank you." I allow myself a small smile at his kind words. I have not sought gratitude for the many times in which I've protected the king. But maybe this time, I should.

Because this time, I've sacrificed everything.

"Is there anything I can do to make this easier to bear?" The king asks hesitantly.

"Make sure my family is taken care of," I immediately reply.

"They shall want for nothing. But Link, you can still be everything you were before. This… curse is a limitation, yes, but only a physical one."

"No. It goes well beyond the physical. What would go through her mind if I tried to kiss her in this form? How would my little children take direction from one younger than them? And how could I expect them to subject themselves to the eternal gossip and distaste that would follow this relationship? I am no longer a man. There's no use in pretending to be one," I reply. My new voice demonstrates my point painfully well.

"You are still a man, and a good one at that. No curse can take that away from you," The king says, placing a hand on my shoulder. It feels too large, and too rough against my soft, bare skin.

"You're right. But as a man, I can't hurt my family by returning to them like this. They deserve better."

"I cannot convince you otherwise?" The king asks.

"No. You may be the ruler of this entire kingdom, but it is my family, not yours."

"Very well," He replies, sighing. "But I swear to you, I will make sure your family is taken care of."

I nod in appreciation. For a few moments, there's just complete silence. Then, quietly, I begin speaking. "Sire… I know that, in this form, I can no longer guard you. That occupation is no longer an option, and will not be an option for several years. I also know that I can no longer take care of my family. While I'm appreciative that these roles can be fulfilled by others, it makes me wonder what… what I should do. Everything I filled my hours with no longer exists. What am I to make of myself?"

"That is not for me to decide. However, I have an… option that you may choose to accept or deny. Due to the passage of my beloved daughter, I no longer have an heir. And, though the kingdom wasn't made aware, my wife also passed a number of years ago. You may not have realized it at the time, but by protecting me, you saved the entire royal bloodline, as I am its last member. So my offer to you is just that; the royal bloodline."

"Aside from my servant, who is most proficient at keeping secrets, no one knows about your curse, and no one must know. Were you to desire it, I would accept you as a… a son. It would be my honor. I wouldn't treat you as a child, nor would I provide any pretense of 'raising' you. You would be treated with honor and respect, like the man you truly are. And when you came of age, I could think of no greater ruler for the kingdom than a man who would sacrifice his life to protect it."

The sheer generosity of the offer shocks me. For a few moments, I'm left speechless, unable to form a response. If my former life were an option, I would simply say no, and return to the life I so loved. But now, I don't know of anything else I can do with my life. Which makes it impossible to say no, yet difficult to agree to.

"You don't have to decide now. I know it's a difficult decision. Just know that I would be honored, to have you as my son."

"Thank you, my liege," I reply, relieved.

He nods. "I apologize, but I must announce a plan of action unto the kingdom, concerning Vaati. My daughter was killed, and I do not intend to let her murderer escape retribution."

"May I join you?" I ask hesitantly.

"Of course," The king replies immediately. "You do not even have to ask. My servant set out some clothing for you, in the dresser. I'll be giving my speech in the main hall, in a few minutes. You may come at your convenience."

I nod, and, after the king bows and leaves, I move over to the dresser. As I actually begin walking, the changes made to my body become painfully obvious. It's so very disconcerting, to have everything look and feel bigger. But my surroundings are unfamiliar enough to offset that discomfort. I couldn't even imagine visiting my own home in this strange, new body.

The clothes are also rather disappointing. The servant left me a simple child's tunic and a pair of tight, white leggings; of course she couldn't have just given me a worker's shirt and pants. Worse, she picked _green_, of all colors. And the shoes she gave me are brown, at least, but they don't even rise above my ankle. It makes me miss my strong, sturdy workman's boots. But those boots would probably extend past my knees now.

Sighing, I put on the offensive clothing and gently slip into the main hall. It's so very frustrating that everyone looks down on me as I walk past them. Their eyes seem to say "What are you doing here, little boy?". I feel like shouting at them, and telling them that just yesterday, I was the leader of the king's guards. That I was a figure who commanded respect from everyone, who many called a hero for saving the king's life so many times. But such statements would be taken as evidence of an overactive imagination, and I'd be treated even worse. There really is nothing more torturous than being forced into a body in which I don't belong.

Someday, I will make Vaati pay for this.

"Greetings," The king says grandly. "I have called you here today to inform you of a horrible tragedy. The warrior you witnessed winning the annual swordsmanship tournament was not what he appeared. Rather, he was a powerful sorcerer, intent on harming the kingdom. He used the tournament to gain access to the Blade of Salvation, and with his vile powers, he rent it in two." There's almost a collective gasp at his words, but the king ploughs on ahead. "Worse, though, my daughter, Zelda perished in the attack. Her loss will be mourned. The head guard, and my personal friend Link…" The king looks over at me, as if asking me what I want him to say. But I have no idea what words could possibly make any of this better. So I simply close my eyes, trusting in the king to make the right decision.

"Link perished as well. He boldly fought through Vaati's magic, and took a curse that was meant for me. I ask that you all give a moment of silence for him. Without his noble sacrifice, our kingdom would be without a king."

Collectively, the people in the crowd bow their heads, and a cold silence fills the room. Despite all of the tears I've shed today, my eyes grow watery at the devotion these people have given me. Knowing that my sacrifice is appreciated makes it, at some level, a bit more bearable.

"Vaati has powers that no mere mortal can face. Should any warrior encounter him, I expect them to flee, and escape with their lives. In this, our time of need, we will again be calling upon the Blade of Salvation, which led our people out of the darkness of oppression. I will leave no stone unturned in seeking out its creators, and I promise you that this kingdom will not rest until that sword is shoved through the heart of the vile magician who harmed our kingdom so very much."

The people cheer, and then disperse. I push through the crowds, and make my way towards the king. As though he can read the request straight out of my mind, he quietly pulls me into a room, where it's just the two of us.

"Sire, the legends say that the Piccouri forged the Sword of Salvation, correct?" I ask, a bit of real excitement in my tone.

"Yes," He replies tiredly. He can probably see exactly where my mind has gone.

"And all of the myths about them state that they will only appear to children, and that they're impossible to find otherwise?"

"Yes," He repeats.

"Then why not send me to meet them?" I ask quietly.

"Link, you have given everything to this kingdom. I couldn't ask you to risk your life once more."

"You don't have to ask. I volunteer," I say, smiling.

"You don't have to do this. I'm sure that any number of children in the Knight's academy would gladly undertake this quest. And it would ease my guilty heart if you would remain here, where it's safe, and where I can be sure that you are cared for, and given the proper respect. I could make you a king, Link," He offers gently.

"If I were to restore the Blade of Salvation and slay Vaati, perhaps this curse would be broken. So while I appreciate your offer, that would just be taking your life. I would much rather reclaim my own life instead."

The king nods. Hesitantly, he continues, "I am greatly indebted to you, and were it not for the obligations I have to the kingdom, I would allow you to undertake this journey. However, the entire kingdom is threatened by this Vaati, and you may not be the best candidate to seek out the Piccouri. You are, after all, not actually a child. The Piccouri may view that as deception, and not appear to you. But beyond that, you look to be about eight or nine years old. Others who have three or four years of growth on your would stand a much better chance. And… you're not the strongest or tallest child I've seen. You look thin, and barely able to hold a sword."

"Sire," I say, trying to remain calm. "None of the other children have spent the last thirty years training as a warrior. None of them are fighting to regain their entire lives. And what's more… I believe that I have some level of resistance to Vaati's magic."

"Indeed?" The king asks, intrigued.

"Yes. I never saw the tall, strong warrior. Instead, I saw the true Vaati the entire time. To me, he simply stood in the shadows while his foes uselessly waved their swords about, and surrendered."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because you ordered my silence on the matter," I reply. A bit of resentment seeps into my tone. Had the king listened to my advice and left, I might not have been transformed into a child.

"I… I am so sorry, Link. I was a fool to ignore your council."I nod gently, a bit relieved; it's much easier to forgive someone when they apologize.

"Beyond that, when the wave of darkness came over me, it only knocked me to the ground, whereas the other soldiers were left unconscious. And… Vaati called you a baby, and told you he would help you act your own age. Logically, the spell would then turn whoever it hit into a baby. But it made me a child," I finish. I feel ridiculous, trying to argue that I have some strange power. But I need to go seek out the Piccouri. It is my only chance of regaining the life that's been taken from me.

"Very well. If you can best one of my soldiers in combat, then I will allow you to seek out the Piccouri," The king says, sighing. "Which of my soldiers do you wish to duel?"

"I might as well challenge my replacement, Seviller," I reply, smiling.

He nods, and calls for the servant from before. She leads me to the armory, to equip myself for the duel. I quickly find out that there isn't any armor, even chainmail, that will fit my small frame. Beyond that, I can only use daggers proficiently now, for the rest of the weaponry is far too heavy. Though even the daggers seem as big as longswords to me. I know that a small blade will be difficult, if not impossible to win with. So instead, I decide to use a quarterstaff.

In the deepest recesses of the armory, I find a staff that's tucked away inside of a chest. After reading the note left on top of the staff, I discover that it was actually a gift from the Piccouri to a prince who had a gimpy leg. Supposedly, while walking with it, he didn't limp at all. Regardless, it's as strong as steel, but light, and exactly as tall as I am. All things considered, it's the perfect weapon for me. And touching it seems to awaken that small bit of light within me, that came alive to fight Vaati's curse.

The king quickly arranges for me and Seviller to duel in the kingdom's arena. Seviller complains a bit at having to duel a mere child, but the king silences those with an order to treat me with absolute respect. It's odd, having the king come to my defense. Usually things are the other way around.

Seviller, the ever cautious warrior, quickly takes the center of the arena. I cautiously approach him and, with reckless force, he swings his massive broadsword at me. Barely, I'm able to raise my quarterstaff to block his blow, and it sends me skidding backwards through the dirt. The force of the attack sends vibrations down my staff, hurting my small, delicate hands. I quickly realize that I cannot meet force with force, as I could before. Dodging must be my new tactic.

Carefully, I walk forwards again, and he strikes out at me. But this time, I dodge it with a neat back flip, the blade coming inches from my head. Before he has time to ready himself to strike again, I sweep my staff under his feet, causing him to loose his balance and fall backwards.

Gaining a strange sense of momentum, I push myself off the ground with my staff and hurl over to the other side of him, so as he's regaining his feet, I'm in perfect position behind him. With as much strength as I can muster, I slam my staff against his helmet, causing it to fly clean off and causing Seviller to double over in pain. Smiling, I strike again, slamming the staff into his back, pushing him face forwards into the dirt. With a sense of leisure, I walk over to him and push his head into the ground, shoving my staff into his neck. If I wanted to, I could easily kill him by pushing just a little bit harder.

He must realize that, for after a few seconds, he drops his sword and gently raises his hands in defeat. Smiling, I pull my staff away, and help him to his feet. He no longer looks at me with derision, but with respect. "Well fought," He says gently, shaking my hand. "You remind me of our former leader, Link. He fought with the same sort of… talent, you could say. It's sad that someone as weak as me must take his place."

"Were Link here today, he would be comforted that you are filling his shoes," I reply gently.

Seviller nods, and, after bowing to the king, respectfully walks away.

The king looks at me with a strange mixture of admiration and worry. After a few moments, he sighs, and says, "I am a man of my word. You have my blessing in seeking out the Piccouri. I would start in the Minish Woods, where all such meetings have taken place."

"Thank you, my liege," I reply, turning around.

"You don't have to do this, Link," He says, a hint of despair in his tone.

"Yes, King Javian, I do."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The king gives me a rich sum of four gold pieces to spend on supplies. As a guard, I made one gold piece a month, and was well paid. There's no way that I could spend all of these on supplies. I try to hand him three of them back, but he closes my weak hand around the coins and waves me on my way.

I buy some dried meat, and a few bottles for water. Nothing else is really necessary. I have been fully trained in wilderness survival, and I can make a decent rope or fire from almost any materials. And the Minish Woods are calm, and gentle. As a boy, I used to explore and hunt there, sometimes with the king.

On my way out of town, I can't help but walk by my home. Or, rather, my former home. There's a long, wooden bench that sits across the cobblestone street from it, and I sit myself down, simply staring at the rickety, wooden house. I can see the flickering lights of a fire, through the windows. I have to wonder whether my wife has heard the news that I've perished. And whether she's mourning me, as I am mourning her.

"Hello there," A gentle voice says. Gasping, I turn, and see my wonderful wife, Navinne, standing behind me. The mere sight of her takes my breath away. The noble women have decided that extravagant dresses and expensive paints are what constitutes beauty. But there is nothing even comparable to Navinne, wearing her dust-stained apron and her rugged, brown dress. She carries the simple grace of a woman, while somehow showing the warmth and peace of a mother. It's hard, so very hard, to keep my expression blank.

I'm sure that, on any other day, Navinne would pick up on the despair in my countenance. But instead, distractedly, she asks, "Do you mind if I sit with you? This place has always helped me to clear my head." I shake my head gently. She gracefully lowers herself onto the bench, and looks over me a few times. I suddenly feel a profound sense of shame, and embarrassment. I used to be strong, and confident. Now, I'm simply a small, weak child. My only solace is that she doesn't recognize this as me.

It's though she can read the deepest fears in my heart. "You know, you remind me of my husband, Link. Though he would never let his hair grow out that long. He can't stand how long hair tickles his ears," She says wistfully.

"I… I don't like it this long either," I reply, wishing my voice wasn't so weak.

She smiles, and continues looking at me curiously. I feel like squirming under her gaze, but I suppress the childish instinct. Vaati can make me look like a child, and make me feel like a child, but he can't take away the mental strength I've spent years building up.

"You really do look like him. Are you two related?" Navinne asks.

"No, I'm just passing through. I live… away from here. Far away."

"Oh. Do you need a place to stay? I can't offer much, but we have an extra bed, and a warm fire, should you need it." I smile to myself at her generosity. We don't have an extra bed; whenever she invites a stranger into our house, we simply sleep on the floor, and give them ours. Navinne is the kind of woman who loves to help the random stranger.

"No, thank you. I'm leaving tonight," I reply, wincing a bit at the painful words.

"Are you travelling alone?"

"The journey is without danger. I will be fine," I say, rather than answering her question.

Navinne laughs. "You sound just like my husband. He's always telling me that he'll be okay. Oh, he worries me so, always putting himself in such dangerous situations. But he's always okay. You know, I heard there was some sort of confrontation after the tournament yesterday. But I know that my husband will be okay. I just wish he wouldn't make me wait…"

"He sounds like a selfish man," I whisper.

"No. He's far too selfless. Like a noble knight from a fairy tale, who would do anything for his princess. He's such a wonderful husband, and father. That's why I always worry. I don't know what I'd do without him."

"You would manage, like you always do," I reply gently. "I really must be going. Farewell, Navinne." I rise to my feet, and slowly walk away from the life I've spent the last thirty years building.

"How did you know… Wait!" She calls. I begin pumping my tiny legs, running away from the answers she wants. It will be so much easier for her if I'm dead. If there's no hope that I can ever return. If I left her with the hope that my curse could be broken, it would tear her apart.

As it's tearing me apart now.

She doesn't follow me. I don't think she has any idea who I am. Perhaps there's just a certain level of familiarity that, when mixed with me knowing her name, puts her on edge.

Somehow, I manage to make it out of the forest before I collapse. My loss was foggy, and undefined before. But now, it's been made crystal clear and brought to the forefront of my mind. I lost the most wonderful family in the world. And they've lost me.

And I don't think I can handle it.

"Help!" Faintly, in the distance, I hear a quiet voice shout. More than anything, I want to sit here, and give in to my sorrow. But when I became a guard, I took a pledge to always protect those who stand in need of protection. So I jump to my feet, dust myself off, wipe away my tears and move towards the source of the noise.

The noise repeats every so often, though with this small frame, it takes me quite some time to get there. As I draw closer, I hear a strange, thunking noise as well, always followed by a gasp of pain. Finally, after pushing aside some annoying trees, I make my way into a large clearing. And I'm met with the strangest sight I've ever seen.

Three Octoroks, eyes dark with rage, are surrounding a… creature? I don't really know quite how to describe it. It looks like a tall, pointed green hat that's somehow standing straight up. And beyond that, it has a huge pair of eyes and a large, yellow beak. The Octoroks continually shoot their dung balls at it, and occasionally, one will hit, and the thing cries out in pain.

After a few moments, the hat creature turns its eyes on me. "Well, don't just stand there boy, do something!" It shouts, glaring me down. I hesitate, but decide that, no matter how weird, this creature is still a victim that needs protecting. So, sighing, I pull out my staff and approach the Octoroks.

Seeing me as a threat, they turn towards me, and begin spitting their hard, black projectiles at me. Like little cannons. But I could easily defeat these creatures before…

Smiling, I jump aside and swing my staff, striking the projectiles as hard as I can. I hit two of the three, and they fly back at the creatures who spit them, dazing them. Instinctually, I jump at the third one and slam down on it, crushing its hard shell under my shoes. I can't help but gasp at the sheer length of my jump. This little body flew through the air so weightlessly.

Laughing, I jump into the air once more, flying easily seven feet into the air. This time, I use my downward momentum to shove my staff through the Octorok. I hear the sound of the Octorok spitting its little cannon ball, and I raise my staff with the now-dead Octorok on it, using the creature's corpse as a makeshift shield. The last one stares at me for a few moments, as if accepting its fate. And suddenly, it isn't an attacker, but a harmless animal.

"Go," I say to the little thing. It cocks its head and looks at me curiously.

"Shoo!" I shout, waving my arms around. It looks at me for a few moments more, and then scuttles off. Despite the fact that it's childish, I jump as high as I possibly can, stretching my fingers towards the heavens. It's amazing how light I am.

"Took you long enough," The… hat-thing says.

"You're welcome," I reply, wiping off my staff.

The hat bends its, uhm, neck sideways, and literally looks at me sideways. "Hmm. You've got some spunk, kid, I'll give you that."

Reckless anger fills me. I just saved this thing's life, and it has the audacity to call me a child. I don't care what I look like right now. I deserve respect.

In a quick motion, I grab the hat right below it's beak, and squeeze, hard, like I'm holding it in a chokehold. "Do not call me a child," I whisper menacingly.

The hat coughs, and then, to my astonishment, it laughs. "Oh, sorry, do you prefer the term 'baby'?"

The anger peaks, and I shove the hat against the tree. "You can't…" I start to scream. But abruptly, I realize that this weird hat thing can. It can call me a child, because that's what I've been turned into. It can treat me without respect, like I'm a stupid, incompetent kid. That's what I'll be, for years and years.

I toss the hat to the ground in disgust. "In the future, don't make so much noise. The Octoroks are almost blind. They hunt by sound alone. They are calm creatures, so long as you don't scare him," I instruct, my voice dead.

"Thanks," The hat says, pulling itself upright.

"You're welcome," I repeat, without the sarcasm this time. "Sorry about shouting at you. I've not been myself. Literally."

"Hmm. So what's a chil-... person like yourself doing out in the woods alone," The hat asks curiously.

I almost brush it off. But honestly, if there's anyone that I can safely tell about my problems, it's this talking hat. There's no way that it can spread my secrets around the castle; it doesn't even have legs to get there.

"I'm trying to break a curse," I say quietly.

"Ah, the curse that turned you into a child?"

"How… how did you know about that?" I ask, a bit frightened.

"Oh, it was a pretty easy deduction. You charged straight at those Octoroks, and talked with me, all without any nervousness. That sort of confidence comes only with age. And when you got all heated over me saying 'child', and saying that you literally weren't yourself… You didn't exactly make it hard," the hat says, chortling.

"Fair enough. And what are you doing out in the forest?"

"I guess you could say I'm also looking to break a curse, of sorts. Though I haven't the faintest on how to do so. So what's your plan?"

"I'm seeking out the Piccouri, to help reforge the Blade of Salvation, that I may use it to slay Vaati," I recite.

"Ah. Well, I'll take points off for lack of originality, but beyond that, seems like a decent plan. Mind if I join you for the ride?"

"Uhm, no offense, but this is very important to me. I… I have a family that I need to return to, and I cannot do so until this wretched curse is removed. So I won't do anything that will hurt my chances of success. I apologize." The words sound strangely sulky in my new voice. Before, they would have sounded strong, and professional.

"Ever consider the fact that I might actually help you in your quest?" The hat says carefully.

"With all due respect, you're just a hat…"

"And you're just a child," it replies bitingly.

Its words pull me up short. Here I am asking for it to treat me with the respect of an adult, and at the same time, I'm calling it useless because of what it looks like.

"Sorry, that was rude. Just… how can you help me?"

"Well, I have a way to get you in contact with the Piccouri. Or, the Minish, I should say, as that's their real name. For some reason, only these woods kept the correct name. I guess it has been quite some time since humans and Minish have met. They are quite good at remaining hidden."

"So… you really can help me communicate with them?" I ask hopefully.

"Yes. Well, probably. At least, you have no chance of finding them by yourself. With me around, you have a solid maybe," It says, smiling in a strange sort of way.

"I guess there's no harm in bringing you. Can you, err, walk?" I ask hesitantly.

"Nope, I'd probably need legs to do that," It replies cheerily. "You'll have to carry me."

I nod and, gently, I pick it up and place it over my shoulder. "That won't work," The hat shouts, sounding much like someone pinching their nose.

Sighing, I pick it up and quickly decide against stuffing it in one of my pockets. Instead, I take the only logical course of action; I place it gently atop my head.

"Hmm, I suppose this will have to do, kid. At least your hair is clean, for the most part," The hat says.

"Yeah. Listen, if you want to travel with me, I have two rules. First, you do not refer to me as a child. I don't care what I look like, I am not a child! And second… if you're going to travel with me, I need to know what your name is."

"Fair enough. My name is Elzo. It's a pleasure to meet you. And you are?" It asks gently.

"I'm Link," I reply.

"Wait, so you're the legendary guard who singlehandedly defeated the final horde of Dharkin?" The hat asks incredulously.

"I was simply doing my duty," I reply, my ears turning red.

"Oh, this is excellent. Vaati definitely picked the wrong warrior to curse," Elzo says, laughing for a long, long time.

"Right. Well, in order to meet the Minish, you'll have to pass through a portal, of sorts. There's one a few days walk from here. I'll point you in the right direction. Just watch where you step. Wouldn't want to offend any of the Minish along the way. "

"Are the Minish… frightening?" I ask tentatively.

"No. You have… little to worry about," Elzo replies, chortling.

"Right. Point the way." Elzo nods, and his tip points towards a thick gathering of trees. Then, shuddering, his beak and eyes shove themselves out of sight. I look up at him and see what seems like just a completely normal hat, all be it a strange, green pointy one. I guess when people look at me, they must see what seems like a completely normal kid, all be it a short one with green eyes.

I guess nothing is truly as it seems.

(Note: I may make this chapter longer. I haven't decided yet)


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Can't you move any faster?" The hat complains, after about an hour.

"Sorry," I huff, out of breath. "These legs are so small. And I don't have the endurance that I used to."

"At this rate, it will take us forever to reach the portal."

"Well, you're free to travel alone if I move too slowly," I reply bitingly.

Elzo grunts, but doesn't say anything further. My new body moves slowly, and I tire far more quickly than I should. What's more, I can't seem to stop eating. I have to be sure to constantly gather fruits and nuts, because I'm always hungry. Elzo laughs at me every time I stick something new in my mouth, and I'm tempted to throw the infuriating hat into a stream. But I don't, partially because he might be useful, and partially because I'm beginning to suspect that the curse he's breaking is far worse than mine.

After all, I'd much rather be transformed into a child than an article of clothing.

We travel until well into the night, but at that point, my legs just stop working. Sighing, I grab a few dry twigs, and light a decent fire. I pull off Elzo, and place him gently by the fire. He hesitantly pokes his beak and eyes out, and looks at me quizzically. "How'd you manage to light that fire, ki-... err, Link."

"I just clashed two sticks together. It's quite simple when you get the technique down," I reply.

"Care to show me?"

Shrugging, I grab two sticks off the forest floor, and rub them together as hard as I can. A bunch of sparks shoot out, some of which form little fires as they hit leaves and plants.

"Well, isn't that interesting," Elzo says, his beak curving upwards.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing you'd need to concern yourself with," he brushes me off. "Now you should get some sleep. Your, err, current body needs a bit more sleep than you're used to."

"It's okay. You rest up. I'll take the first watch."

"Link, I'm a hat. I don't sleep. Don't worry; if anything spooky happens, I'll just wake you and the rest of the forest up," Elzo replies, laughing.

I nod, and gently lay myself down on the forest floor. It's hard, and uncomfortable, and this body isn't hardened like my last one was. And what's more, my losses still weigh heavily on my mind. So I toss and turn for hours, sometimes sobbing quietly to myself. Elzo, to his everlasting credit, simply pretends not to notice.

Eventually, I sleep, but Elzo wakes me when dawn strikes. "Link!" He shouts. Immediately, I jump to my feet and pull my staff into my hands. But there isn't really any threat. Just one solitary Octoruk, staring at me.

"I told you, they hunt by sound alone. If you're quiet when one approaches, it won't bother you," I say, a bit grumpily. I wait for the Octoruk to start firing at me, but it simply stands there, just looking. As the fogginess from sleep clears, I realize that it's same creature from yesterday, that I let go after I killed its companions.

"Huh. It's not attacking," I mutter. Carefully, I put down my staff and walk towards it. It remains still, its beady eyes following my every move.

I pull a nut out of my pocket, unshell it, and toss it to the creature. It sucks it into the gaping hole that it has for a mouth, and then makes a strange, purring noise. Smiling, I toss it another, and another. It eventually stops eating them, but not until it has almost burned through my entire supply of nuts.

"You were hungry, huh?" I ask it gently. It cocks its head at me, but doesn't reply. Gently, I reach my hand out, and touch the top of its head. The shell feels surprisingly soft. Feeling a bit foolish, I run my hand down the shell, like I'm petting a dog. The creature purrs again, and I keep petting it.

"Well, look at that," Elzo says, sounding a bit perplexed. "You've befriended an Octoruk. I didn't even think that was possible."

"I'm a bit surprised myself," I mumble. "Regardless, we need to keep moving." I gently pat the Octoruk on the head, pack up my things, put Elzo back on my head and begin moving in the direction of the portal. For no apparent reason, the little creature follows, scuttling along side me.

"Will you tell that thing to go away?" Elzo asks irritably.

"What's the harm in letting it tag along? It will scare off most creatures, and it could be useful," I answer.

"It gives me the creeps," Elzo explains, shuddering.

"You just have to get used to it. Make it seem more like a pet. Perhaps you should give it a name, to help familiarize yourself with it."

"Okay then. Little Octoruk, I dub thee…. Octy."

"_Octy_? That's the best you could come up with?" I laugh.

"Well, what would _you_ name it?" Elzo asks defensively.

"Hmm. How about… Waylin?" I say tentatively.

"Waylin, huh? I guess that is a bit more fitting. We'll call it Waylin then," Elzo agrees.

After that, Elzo falls silent, and our strange little party continues. Every so often, Elzo has me switch directions, filling me with the fear that he has no idea where he's going. But he points with confidence, and the road we travel is smooth, without any real problems. Occasionally, we're approached by creatures, but Waylin scares them away by spitting its little cannon balls at them. It even scares away some of the other Octoroks. And by the end of the day, when I say "Waylin", it immediately runs to my side. The level of intelligence the creature has is very impressive.

Once we hit nightfall, my weary legs and heavy eyes overpower me, and I barely have enough time to light a fire before my body falls into a deep sleep. Basic, primal urges, like the need to eat and the need to sleep, are so much more powerful as a child. No wonder kids so imprisoned by their needs.

We travel for a few days more, without any real issues arising. There's enough food for me to gorge myself, and enough streams and lakes that I never grow thirsty. But during the middle of the fifth day, Elzo abruptly tells me to stop.

"Before we continue, you need to let Waylin go," Elzo says gently.

"Why?" I ask, frowning. I've grown a little bit attached to the little guy in the past few days. He's a nice pet; he'll even play fetch with me.

"He can't pass through the portal we need to take to visit the Minish. And, well, he'll be a danger to us after we pass through the portal. Trust me," Elzo says, shuddering.

"All right. I'll see if I can get him to stop following us now." Sighing, I bend over and look Waylin in the eye.

"Hey, Waylin," I say gently, putting my hand on its back. "I need you to stop following us for a few days. You've been a wonderful pet, but we need to continue our journey alone. Maybe after we've seen the Minish, you can come with us. But for now, you need to go away. Goodbye Waylin."

"There's no way that's going to-" Elzo falls silent as Waylin scurries off into the forest. He gapes at me for a few moments, then asks, "How did you do that?"

"I've always had a certain affinity for animals," I reply, shrugging.

"Very interesting," Elzo says, almost suspiciously. He shakes himself off, and then shoves his beak and eyes back into the hat.

After a few moments, I continue in the direction he'd pointed out. I travel smoothly for about an hour, but then, Elzo shouts, "Stop!"

"What?" I ask, confused.

"We're here. This is the portal. I _knew_ could find it," He says excitedly.

"Where's the portal? Is it invisible?"

"No, ki-, err, Link, it's right here," Elzo says impatiently, pointing at a large stump.

"Oh. Is it… disguised?"

"Things aren't always as they appear. You, of all people, should know that," Elzo says quietly. "Just climb up onto that stump, and I'll prepare us to meet the Minish."

"What do you mean, 'prepare us'? I thought you said this was a portal."

"It is a portal… of sorts. Just climb up there. It'll be easier to show you than tell you," He says impatiently.

A bit nervously, I climb up onto the large stump. Elzo looks around, and then, he starts vibrating on my head. I'm not sure how, but he also begins glowing, letting off a soft, gentle light. The light feels… good. It's like warmth, and strength. Childishly, I move my hand up towards him, and touch his rim, just so I can feel the light better.

Elzo laughs. Then, strangely, he begins jumping around my head, doing a strange sort of dance. Slowly, ever so slowly, white symbols, made out of that light, begin appearing around him in a circle. He gets four of them done, and then, with a large crack, all of the symbols and the light fade.

"Ugh," Elzo groans. "I don't have enough energy."

"That was amazing," I mumble, feeling a bit sad that it ended so quickly. "Can you do it again?"

"Sure, Link. May as well give it another go." Smiling, Elzo starts vibrating again, and the light returns, and slowly begins sketching the symbols. I can't help but touch him once more, to better feel the light. But this time, I feel something else too. It's like I can tell how much energy Elzo has, and how much light he will be able to create. And I know, instinctually, that it's not enough. Without meaning to, I access the little light within me, and I somehow send it up towards Elzo. It makes me feel incredibly drained, but at the same time, it creates a lot of light, and makes me feel warm.

"There we go!" Elzo exclaims. Easily, he creates two more symbols, for a total of six. After a few moments, they begin spinning around us. They start slowly at first, but soon they go faster and faster, becoming a blur of white light. Slowly, the blur moves closer and closer, the light so bright that I have to close my eyes. I can feel the symbols touch me, and I can feel them change me. It happens in a second, too quickly for me to even comprehend it. All I know is one moment, I'm standing on the stump. And the next, I'm falling for a long time, until I land on a soft, squishy surface.

"Ah, how I've missed that," Elzo says wistfully. I groan gently, and open my eyes.

I'm in a large, dark room, where a bit of light sneaks in from a hole in the ceiling. I can't see too well in the almost complete darkness, but I'm sitting on a soft, bouncy surface. Elzo is on the ground next to me, his expression strangely smug.

"What… what was that?" I ask, a bit afraid.

"That was magic," Elzo says grandly.

"Amazing," I whisper. "Where did it send us?"

"Nowhere. We haven't moved. Well, that's not strictly true. We're about one foot lower than we were before."

"We're in the stump? It must be huge on the inside," I mutter, looking around.

"No, it's a pretty normal sized stump," Elzo replies, laughing. "I can't believe you haven't figured this out yet."

"So if we're inside the stump, and the stump is normal sized…" My voice trails off as I look around, and see the sheer size of the room. My eyes have adjusted a bit to the dim light, and I can see that the object I'm standing on is almost perfectly round, and curved downwards. Like a giant mushroom…

"Did we… are we really small now, or something?" I ask hesitantly.

"And we have a winner!" Elzo shouts, laughing once more.

"That's… this isn't possible. We'd have to be like the size of bugs…"

"Depends on the bug. Some bugs are a lot bigger than us. And if you think this room is scary, just wait till you see outside," He says, chortling. The thought of the real world, scaled up beyond comprehension, makes my head spin. Suddenly, I feel very, very sick. And tired. Giving away the light within myself wore me out more than anything physical ever has.

"I'd… rather not," I reply shakily.

"You okay kid?" Elzo asks, looking at me with concern.

"Don't call me that," I mumble.

"Sorry. But maybe we should rest here for tonight. I can tell this whole thing has you shaken up."

"Yeah, it's a bit… terrifying. More so, I'm viciously tired. Your 'magic' wore me out."

"Were you tired after my first attempt?" Elzo asks carefully.

"No, just the second one."

"Hmm. Interesting," He says once more.

"I get it, I'm interesting. I'm just going to light a fire, and get some sleep," I say tiredly. The mushroom I'm standing on is quite high in the air, but thankfully, there are a few lower ones. I jump down to them, enjoying the strange bounce they provide. Thankfully, there's some grass, and a few hard sticks that I can light a fire with. But as I clash them together, no sparks come out.

"I guess we won't have a fire tonight," I mumble. Elzo hops down next to me, and looks at me quizzically.

"These logs won't spark," I explain. "It probably has something to do with being shrunk down."

"No, I don't believe it does," He replies mysteriously. I shoot him questioning look, but he doesn't elaborate. "Not to worry though. I too can light a respectable fire." He concentrates for a few moments, and the strange light surrounds him once more. A symbol, made of pure light, appears above the grass and wood I set out. It splutters, then spits out a few sparks that light the fire. Elzo shudders, and the light and symbol fades.

"So amazing…" I say tiredly.

Elzo laughs. "Get some sleep Link," he says gently.

I nod, and lay myself down on the forest floor. At such a small size, it's easy to gather a few blades of fresh grass that make for a soft bed. "Elzo?" I ask quietly.

"Yes?"

"Can you… can you make some more of that light?" I feel childish for my request, but the warmth it brings is so very wonderful.

"Sure," He says. He vibrates a bit, and then shrouds me in his white light. The warm, soft light calms my entire system down, and I fall asleep in seconds.

Elzo wakes me by gently poking me with his beak. Gasping, I sit bolt upright and look around. I'm still inside the stump, surrounded by the giant mushrooms and blades of grass. I guess the whole shrinking thing wasn't a dream then.

Thankfully, my strange tiredness has faded. I rise to my feet, and gently place Elzo on my head. "You ready to see the outside world?" Elzo asks, smiling.

I nod, and push aside the tall grass that blocks the world from my view. I can't help but gape at the sight. It's like the world has exploded, and everything is massive. The leaves are larger than I am, and the trees themselves are as big as a hundred of the castles stacked upon themselves. The world itself seems to have transformed, becoming something alien, and dangerous.

And yet, I feel no fear. Instead, I feel excited to trudge my way through this strange new world.

"Welcome to the world of the Minish," Elzo says, laughing.

I nod. "Which way do I need to go to meet the other Minish?"

"Well, it's a much longer journey, at this size. It's about three weeks, in that direction," He says, pointing.

"Okay." With that, I make my way through the grass that stretches above my head, like a jungle. There are a few bugs, most of them my size, but they avoid me. This strange, new world just amazes me. I find myself marveling at the little things. Like the fact that when I find a walnut with a hole in its shell, the nut in the middle is big enough to feed me for days. Or the fact that I can simply grab a leaf and use it to float across the water. Traveling through the world of the Minish is never dull. I have to constantly climb, or fall from large heights, and make my way across treacherous treacherous waters or through thick, heavy plant life.

I still manage to make it until nightfall. The traveling is more difficult, but at the same time, it's more exhilarating, making the time flow much more quickly.

I gather the tiny woodchips and shred some dried grass up for a fire. "Elzo, could you light this for me?" I ask gently.

"Why don't you try it?" Elzo asks, smiling. Shrugging, I grab two hard roots and strike them together. Surprisingly, they throw off sparks, and light a decent fire.

"Odd," I mutter.

"Odd indeed."

Smiling, I cook a few pieces of walnut over the fire, and gorge myself on them and a nearby berry. I offer some food to Elzo, but he just laughs, and tells me that hats don't eat. So I make myself a soft bed from the fresh grass, and lie down to sleep.

"Link?" Elzo asks softly.

"Yes?"

"I apologize for not telling you the full nature of the portal. I was worried that you wouldn't be able to handle yet another transformation after what had already happened to you. So… how are you handling it?" He asks, his voice sounding surprisingly gentle.

"I'm doing fine. It… it doesn't seem like I've been transformed. My body still feels the same. To me, it's like the world has changed."

"I understand."

"Err, Elzo?" I ask tentatively. "If you can use magic, then… can you fix me?"

"The magic I've shown you is nothing. I know it looks impressive, but it was just a few symbols and a few sparks. What was done to you requires an incredible amount of power and control to cast, and even more to undo. Sorry, but breaking your curse is far beyond the scope of my abilities," Elzo says grimly.

"Of course. If you could've broken such a curse, then you would have broken your own. Forgive my thoughtlessness." Elzo simply nods, moving his beak and eyes up and down.

"I should hate magic. After all, it did, well, this to me. But… I can't tell what that light felt like. It was wonderful," I whisper. Somehow, it seems Elzo has become my secret keeper. I feel secure in telling him basically anything, because he makes fun of me either way, and there's nothing he can do to taint my reputation. As far as the castle knows, I'm dead, and the the things people think of me are locked into place.

"I understand," Elzo says simply.

"Is it… well, I mean, would it be possible for me to learn?" I ask hesitantly.

"You want to learn magic? Link, the noble swordsman who struck down the horde of Dharkin, wants to learn magic? Really?" Elzo asks incredulously.

"Forget it," I reply, my face turning red. "Obviously it's not possible."

"I wouldn't say that," Elzo says, smiling. "Grab those sticks, and make them spark again."

Grudgingly, I stand up, and grab the two twigs I used earlier. I strike them together, and once more, they send off sparks.

"Link, that's magic," Elzo laughs.

"What? No, it's just about knowing the correct technique. Anyone can do this."

"Have you ever seen anyone else light a fire with just two twigs?"

"Well, no, but that doesn't make it magic…" I say weakly.

"Fine, it's not magic. So… on a completely unrelated note, would you try something for me? Rub your hands together, like you would with the sticks. Pretend that it's just two sticks, and expect sparks to come out," Elzo instructs.

I nod. For a few moments, I clear my mind of all my skepticism, and, to help, I close my eyes. Strangely, I find a sense of clarity within myself, and I can almost feel the little warm light within myself. And suddenly, I know for a fact that I can make sparks shoot out of my hands. Smiling, I open my eyes and hold my hands up. And… they're glowing.

"Woah!" I shout. Immediately, my clarity fades under a heavy sense of fear, and the light within me fades. My skin stops glowing almost at once.

"What was that?" I ask, afraid.

"That was magic," Elzo says. Despite everything, he looks surprised. "I… I can't believe you can actually use magic. I mean, sure, the signs were there, but still… This is incredible!" He exclaims, laughing.

"Why?" I ask hesitantly.

"Because humans can't use magic."

"What?"

"Humans can't use magic. In the history of mankind, no human has ever had even the slightest capacity to access magical power."

"Well… maybe it's because you made me a minish. I mean, minish can use magic, right?" I ask desperately.

Elzo simply shakes his head. "Portals like that stump don't work like that. Besides, you used magic before the portal. It was magic that pulled sparks out of the wood. It was magic that made the Octorok understand your words. And when I didn't have enough energy to create the last two symbols, you gave me yours."

"That doesn't really prove anything," I argue.

"True, true," Elzo says, smiling.

"So maybe it's nothing. Besides, if I'm not a human, what am I?" I've had to bear enough sorrow in the last few days. I don't know if I could stand it if, all along, I've not been human. Humanity is a wonderful institution filled with the very best this world has to offer. I deserve to be a member of it.

"Link," Elzo says gently, drawing in my attention. "I'm sorry. But… no human has green eyes. And no human has pointed ears."

"No... Green eyes aren't that strange. And my ears are… a birth defect." A horrible, sick feeling fills me. I have never seen another person with green eyes like mine, save my father. And I have never seen _anyone_ with ears like mine.

"Link, either you are the first human in history with these traits, or… you aren't human," Elzo says softly.

I remain silent, trying to comprehend that. At first, it horrifies me. But my mind begins calming as I realize that it doesn't really matter. I lived a normal life. A good life. And whether or not I was human, I was a good man. And now, nothing matters but my quest to seek retribution on the sorcerer to curse me. My only fear is for my green-eyed son, and what will happen to him because of my differences.

"If I'm not human, then what am I?" I ask, feeling much calmer.

"I don't know. I have no idea how to explain your ears, though minish are known for their green eyes. And if you truly came from a noble house, then one of your parents was probably human. So you're half human, at least," he says comfortingly.

I nod. After an awkward silence, I ask, "So, are you going to teach me magic then?"

Elzo smiles, and nods. "Sure Link."

Grinning, I clap my hands together. And, as I expected, sparks fly out of them.


	5. Chapter 5

**(Note: If you suffer from Arachnophobia, proceed with care)**

Chapter 5

I thought Elzo was annoying as a traveling companion, but as an instructor, he's almost insufferable. He starts slowly, by introducing me to something called the "Runic Alphabet", which basically consists of a symbol for each letter, and then hundreds of others for various words. And each night, he draws them for me with his beak, and has me create them using my inner light. The magic itself is beyond description, but I feel so very drained afterwards that I almost start to consider the long days of traveling to be a reprieve.

Like Elzo said, the journey is long. We travel through the massive world for weeks, and whenever I ask if we're close, Elzo simply shakes his head.

I awaken on my sixteenth day as a minish feeling utterly exhausted. Last night, Elzo not only had me sketch symbols with magic, but he required me to pour all of my energy in them, so that they glowed brightly like his. Directing the magical energy is incredibly taxing on my mind, and more so, actually expending the magical energy makes me feel drained on a whole new level. Despite the fact that I slept well, I'm tired, and can barely rise to my feet.

Sluggishly, I pick up Elzo and begin walking forwards. After about three steps, I trip over a large root, and fall face first into the dirt. I wait for a few seconds, then pick myself up again and keep moving.

"Link," Elzo says gently. "You're dead on your feet. Why don't you rest for today?"

"I have to get to the minish," I mumble. "Besides, I'm fine." My statement is invalidated by the fact that I trip over yet another root. Why must there be so many roots everywhere?

Elzo laughs. "You're barely making any progress as it is. Better to rest for the day, so you're ready to keep moving tomorrow."

"Ugh. Sometimes I wish I was the one without legs," I mutter, sitting myself down.

"No, you don't," Elzo says seriously. I think for a few moments, then nod. I can't imagine sitting on somebody else's head all day, being completely and utterly helpless.

Smiling, I move to a nearby bush, climb up onto one of the leaves, and dangle my feet over the edge. Gently, I sit elzo down next to me, so that he's at least standing up on his own. The shade feels nice, and the stillness allows me to truly admire this new world I've been plunged into. I find myself smiling at the sheer beauty of it all. There's such complexity in every little movement, and I can see it now in a way I never could've before. I can see each of the little dewdrops that trickle down the leaves and grass. I can see the rich patterns of the bark, the little, tiny veins within the leaves, the magnificent color shifts within the flowers. I can't help but marvel.

"I should hate this," I whisper, more to myself than Elzo. "I'm tiny, and insignificant, and I should hate it. This should terrify me. A simple footstep could crush me without any issues. A rainstorm could blow me away. I'm like a bug, completely cut off from everything and everyone human. I really, really should hate this."

"But you don't." It's more of a statement than a question.

"No, I don't. I… I like it. Isn't that just insane? I like floating the puddles atop leaves. I like picking apart berries that are as large as me with my bare hands. I like scaling bushes, and dodging raindrops. I don't miss my family any less, and I would return to them in a heartbeat. But… I like being a minish," I say reluctantly.

"Yeah. Me too," Elzo replies, smiling.

"Elzo… Can I ask what you… are?"

"Link, I'm a hat," He replies, rolling his eyes.

"No, I mean before your curse. You were cursed into being a hat, correct?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not as generous with my secrets as you are with yours," He says curtly.

My cheeks go a bit red, and, embarrassed, I mumble, "Sorry."

"I would take that as a compliment. The pure have nothing to hide. It's only those of us who've traversed darker roads that must keep their lives hidden. Secrets are not the mark of noble men. Quite the opposite."

"But you were a… man, right?" I ask tentatively. I'm tired of calling Elzo "it" in my mind.

"I was male," He confirms, laughing gently. "Not quite sure if I'm male anymore. Hats might not have a male and a female."

I laugh, and we lapse into a gentle silence. Yawning, I lean my head back against the stem of the leaf, and simply rest, watching the forest around me. How I wish I could show my family this sight. I can almost see the expressions of astonishment their faces would hold. My children would explore everywhere while my wife and I made a warm home for us out of woodchips and leaves. It would be so beautiful…

Shuddering, I sit up straight, and try as hard as possible to throw the painful ideas out of my mind. Almost instinctually, I clear my head and focus on my inner light, to distract myself. My warm, magical glow surrounds me.

Focusing, I use my finger to trace the symbol for "A" in the air. I get it almost all the way traced, but my mind can't hold it in place for long enough to finish. As I'm nearing the end, the whole thing comes unraveled like a spool of thread.

"Ugh," I groan. I've been at it for weeks, and I can't even trace a single letter. I must be the worst magician in existence.

"Just relax Link. You're trying too hard," Elzo says gently.

"Of course I'm trying to hard! How else am I supposed to break this curse?" I ask desperately.

Elzo looks at me for a long time, studying my face. Finally, he says, "You're never going to succeed if your entire purpose is something impossible. That curse was cast by a man whose power you will never match. If the only reason you are learning magic is so that you may best his curse, I suggest you stop."

"It's not… it's not the only reason. But if I don't do everything possible to get back to my family, what kind of father would I be?" I ask quietly.

"Sometimes, you need to accept the fact that some things are beyond your grasp. Otherwise you will be an absent father who chases fairy tales." His harsh words surprise me. Still, I suppose he's right. I've seen many men lose themselves by seeking the impossible. Magic could be no different for me.

"I guess so. But… I still want to learn magic. The feeling it brings is just… beyond description. Like I'm opening myself up and using parts that I didn't even know about."

"Then practice magic only for yourself," Elzo replies simply.

"That feels so… selfish," I reply, laughing.

"You have done so much for others. Some things, you need to act for yourself."

I nod gently. I took a curse that was meant for the king, and sacrificed my entire life as a result. I have been as selfless as I possibly could. Perhaps now I need to seek what makes me happy. I feel an instinctual sense of guilt at even the smallest level of happiness, because I know that I should be spending every waking moment mourning what I've lost. But… my family would want me to be happy, as I want them to be happy. So why can't I find joy in the journey that I'm taking to try and get them back?

"Don't lose this feeling. Hold onto it. Turn it into light," Elzo instructs.

Smiling, I open my soul up, and feel the light burning within. Instead of forcing it out, I simply let it come out however it wants to. My whole body glows, more brightly than ever. I almost have to close my eyes in the face of my own luminosity. And suddenly, it isn't just a little light within my soul, but a raging fire with the force of the very sun. I don't make any attempt to control such power. I simply close my eyes and let it release.

My body trembles, and grows uncomfortably hot. The seems to grab my body, and stretch it out, so hard that I gasp. Yet it's amazing, like burning pure energy. And abruptly, the light fades.

"Wow," I whisper, opening my eyes. "What was that?"

"That… that was magic. A lot of magic. So, so much magic…" Elzo whispers, looking shaken.

"But… I feel bigger. And my voice is different…" Confused, I look down at myself. I'm still clearly a child, but I look to have aged a few years, and grown about half a foot. What's more, I have a little bit of actual muscle. If I had to guess, I'd say that I went from being eight to being eleven. The difference isn't that significant, but it still makes me smile. Unfortunately clothes don't fit very well, but they were a bit big on me before, and the fabric stretches, at least.

"You… you've dented the curse. You took away some of its power, which made you older," Elzo whispers.

"I thought you said that was impossible…"

"It should be. Vaati has powers unmatched by any mortal. And you've been using magic for only days. You shouldn't have that kind of talent, and you definitely shouldn't have that kind of energy."

"I…" My voice trails off. Suddenly, like someone's physically attacked me, a feeling of pure, gut wrenching exhaustion comes over me. Bright lights run across my eyes, and my limbs lose all their strength, so quickly that I'm thrown to the floor. I groan gently, and lean backwards.

"Link!" Elzo shouts. I try to stay awake, because I have no idea what such heavy sleep will bring. But there's no such thing as resistance in the face of this exhaustion.

Elzo told me not to seek the impossible. And right now, staying conscious and fighting the incredible drain on every part of my system is impossible.

I sleep for a long, long time. I can tell, by the duration that the darkness lasts, and by the incredible stiffness in every one of my muscles. And… it's still day time when I awaken.

"Oh, thank heavens," Elzo sighs, at seeing me open my eyes.

"Hey," I croak, trying to sit up. My head spins at the slight movement, and, groaning, I lie back down.

"Do not expend that much magic again. If you would've used any more energy, you would be dead. I'm sorry, I should have told you that using more energy than you have can kill you," Elzo says hastily, looking me over.

"Yeah… How long was I out?" I ask, my voice sounding weak.

"Three days," He whispers. My eyes widen in shock. I've never slept for more than ten hours. This magic stuff can really wear you out.

"How are you feeling?" He asks quietly.

"Horrible," I reply.

"Hear, eat something." Gently, he pushes some of my walnut and berry chunks at me. Very, very slowly, I place them in my mouth, chew them, and swallow. I can actually feel them hit the bottom of my empty stomach, and they add a lot of strength to my weak body.

I rise shakily to my feet, and move over to a leaf that's above the one we're sitting on. Carefully, I pull it down, and drink from the dewdrop resting on top of it. The water, mixed with the food, makes me feel somewhat human again. Still moving with care, I travel to other leaves, and drink until I cannot drink any more.

"I would let you rest, but we need to reach the safety of the Minish Village as quickly as we can," Elzo says, looking around.

"What do you mean?" I ask, surprised. Sure, there are big bugs and creatures that could kill us, but thus far I've been able to avoid them with ease.

"I don't like the look of some of the shadows," Elzo says mysteriously. "And releasing that much magic was incredibly foolish. You might as well have waved around a giant sign saying 'Powerful minish here, in case anyone wants to attack'."

"But… wouldn't showing magic make creatures stay away?"

"Well, yes. All creatures inherently fear magic, save those who can use it. Even humans, when confronted with magic, will run. But there are some beings who are enticed by magic, like moths to a flame. And some creatures who feast on magic, and those who use it. All of them have reason to seek and destroy other magicians. Unless you have strength in your power, you never showcase it." Elzo says sternly. I nod, trying not to picture the kind of creatures that could devour magic.

So after gently placing Elzo on my head, I set off in the direction he points. My body is very tired, and it's hard to push forwards. But the years of age I've given myself really do help. I have more muscle, and longer legs, and a bit more of my endurance has returned. Though I'd grown used to being shorter, and as a result, I keep tripping over my own feet and bonking my head on things. It's like I've hit puberty all over again, and am dealing with a massive growth spurt.

"Keep going," Elzo instructs, after I trip yet again. "We're almost to the village. Then you can rest."

"I thought you said we weren't close…" I mutter, picking myself up.

"I lied. Didn't want you thinking we were almost there, and slacking off," He answers shamelessly.

I grunt, but don't respond beyond that. I travel without consequence all day, and when night falls, I keep going, drawn in by the thought of a warm bed. Soon, we come to a large circle of trees, grown so thickly together that there's no way a human could ever fit through.

"There it is," Elzo says in relief. I smile, and gratefully begin walking towards the trees. Before I can get there, a huge spider, easily three times as big as me, walks into the path.

"Shoo!" I shout, clapping my hands. Thus far, I've found that most bugs are scared off by loud noises, even if they're bigger than me. The spider simply stares at me, its eight eyes all honed in on me.

Abruptly, a shard of fear shoots through me. Something about the spider's gaze makes it seem very… human. But at the same time, there could be nothing more inhuman about this creature. It has eyes made of pure darkness, and a massive, strong body, with a large sac of venom on its back. Huge hairs run down the whole thing, and its legs twitch ever so slightly, like the creature is waiting to run at me. And I can literally see the venom dripping from its huge, black fangs.

"Link," Elzo says in a low, quiet voice. "Walk away very slowly."

I take one, hesitant step backwards. The spider opens up its fangs, and lets out a high, earsplitting roar. "Spiders don't roar," I think, trembling. Something about this spider makes it seem to be so much more than a simple bug. There's a level of intellegence in it, so much so that I feel like it can understand every word I say.

I know, somehow, that I have only seconds before this monstrous beast attacks. So I quickly throw Elzo off my head, knowing that if I die, he needs to survive. Then, steeling myself, I pull out my staff.

The spider roars once more, and rushes at me. Any notion I had of beating it is shatterred as I see it move. Spiders move with enough speed that it's hard to crush one as a human. But as a minish, it moves so fast that I barely have time to jump to the side as it rushes across a huge distance to meet me.

The spider turns to me, and spits its venom out. I dodge most of it with a quick hop backwards, but some of it lands on me, eating holes in my clothing and burning my skin. Wincing, I jump to the side to try and escape it, but it takes the spider only a second to reach me and climb on top of me.

The eight legs draw in around me, forming a sort of cage around me. I bang my staff into one of the legs as hard as I can, but the hard shell deflects the blow with ease. The spider inexplicably bends its head down towards me, and chomps at me with its pincers. My body is slow, so slow, in comparison to this beast, and while I dodge the majority of the blow, the sharp fangs still slice me across the chest. The wound burns with the venom of the spider, and immediately begins bleeding.

The legs lash out at me too, throwing me between them like I'm a ragdoll. I bruise over and over again, and I distinctly hear some of my bones crack. The pain is everywhere, overcoming me, forcing me into submission. Gasping, I fall to the ground.

The spider remains motionless and, almost leisurely, brings its venom sack down towards me. I steel myself for the pain, knowing that this is the moment in which I die.

And suddenly, my inner light begins burning with astounding strength and force.

Without thinking, I jump to my feet and raise my hands above my head, so that my palms are facing the bottom of the spider. I call upon my magic, hoping it will release sparks. Instead, it releases flames. A massive ball of fire shoots from my outstretched palms, searing the spider and making it smell vaguely of burned flesh.

The creature shrieks, and jumps off of me and onto a nearby tree. It looks at me for a few moments, its black eyes dark with rage. Angrily, it hurls itself at me, meaning to crush me.

Normally, I wouldn't be able to jump out of the way in time. But my muscles move with impossible speed, so that by the time the spider hits the ground, I'm already a few feet away. Marveling, I run backwards even further. My body moves with as much speed as the spider's now. More, even.

And, without giving it any thought, I stop running, and instead rush at the creature. It lashes out with its pincers, but I jump over them, and land quickly on the other side of it. Even though it failed last time, I slam my staff into the leg of the spider. My muscles swing with more force than I would ever have believed they could. The outer shell of its leg is shattered with a sickening squashing noise, and the spider shrieks in agony.

I don't stop though. I jump to the other end of it, dodging a huge line of web it spits out to catch me, and I break another two of its legs. With that, the creature falls to the ground, its remaining legs spred out around it.

I know, though, that from this point on, if the spider survives, it will seek me out. And I cannot rely on this impossible speed and strength to save me. I am a warrior, and I have killed many men in the name of the king. Killing this creature should be easier. But its eyes seem… if not human, then intelligent.

Sighing, I throw myself into the air, and I use the downwards momentum to slam my staff through the spider's heart. The creature shrieks once more, and its demon eyes slowly close. I can almost feel the life force drip out of it.

A heavy wind brushes through the forest, ruffling my hair. As it passes by the spider, I can see it pick up hundreds of dark specks. They seem to come together, forming a mass of darkness that rides on the wind. I shudder to myself at seeing it; the darkness on the wind brings the same feeling that Vaati's dark magic did.

"Link!" Elzo shouts. I begin walking towards him, and abruptly, the light and strength fade. Gasping, I fall to my knees, gripping my bloodstained chest. I can feel the wounds so strongly, now that my adreniline has faded. And I can feel the spider's venom, pushing its way into me, running through my small, weak body.

Gritting my teeth, I stand up once more, and pick Elzo up off the floor. Then, as fast as I can manage, I walk towards a small gap between the trees. I make it to the other side, and I push my way through a large gate, made of a twisting, beautiful metal. My vision blurs considerably, then simply fades as I push myself forwards. Vaguely, I hear voices, speaking furiously fast in complete gibberish. And I hear Elzo's voice too, speaking the same gibberish. I smile to myself, at knowing that at least I got Elzo safely to the village of the minish.

And then I fall to the floor and let my pain have me.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

In a hazy state of unconsciousness, I hear strange voices above my head. "Picco. Pic… piccoro occo pic, corri oc icco pic poc pocco iccori cor corri…" The language itself is gibberish, though I can suddenly understand why people started calling them "Piccouri".

Barely, I manage to slide my eyes open. I still can't see though. The venom coursing through my system must still be blinding me. Hopefully, that's temporary.

"Link," Elzo says, sounding relieved.

I try to reply, but I don't seem to have a voice either. Instead, strange gasping noises come out, making me sound like a fish out of water.

"Don't try to move or talk. You've been through quite an ordeal. Using the magic to grow yourself wreaked havoc on your system, and then you were injured by the spider, and used even more magic… All things considered, you're very lucky to be alive," he says, like he's scolding me.

I would give some sort of response, but I can't. My body is in enough pain that moving is out of the question, my voice doesn't seem to work and I can't even see to roll my eyes. Instead, I simply close them.

"Thank you," Elzo says, after a moment. "That's the second time you've saved my life."

Quickly, I figure out a pain free way to move- smiling.

"Don't get too cocky, though. You only killed a spider. I'll bet that's something you did on a daily basis when you were human."

I instinctually try to laugh, but only air comes out.

"Pic occi or!" I hear a female voice shout.

"Occo pi ic piccor," Elzo replies, sounding a bit regretful. Then, in english, he says, "The nice lady tells me you need to sleep. They're going to use magic to remove the venom, so that you can start to heal." As he speaks, I can feel the soft light of magic come down on me. And I can feel the energy of the person using it. It seems so small, and inadequate.

Frowning, I access my own light, and try to send it to the other magician. But it gets shoved back into me. "Nic pic occo ori," A gentle female says.

"She said 'thank you, but save your energy'," Elzo translates. Without any real course of action, I try to make myself a bit more comfortable, and I let the tiredness and pain take over again.

After floating around for a while, I slowly come to. Hesitantly, I open my eyes, but they still aren't working.

"You really don't understand this whole 'sleep' concept, do you?" Elzo asks, laughing.

I groan gently, and abruptly realize that I have a voice again. "Hello," I whisper, just so that I can hear it. Sure, it's still the voice of a child, but it's far better than no voice at all.

"Don't exert yourself," Elzo instructs.

"I know. I just… wanted to hear myself talk," I mumble. My voice sounds croaky, and I can't manage much volume at all. "I… I still can't see Elzo. Am I blind now?"

"No, no. They'll be able to fix your eyes up. Don't worry about it," He says comfortingly.

"What does it look like here?" I ask, trying to cut through the perpetual darkness filling my vision.

"It's a very warm place. There's a little fire burning, over in the corner, and there are beds lined out, covered with white sheets and white blankets. The floor is hard, polished wood, with a nice design on it. The walls are large logs of wood, with little glass windows. They hang flower petals from the ceiling, to make the room smell nice." I sniff, but there's no sensory input tied to the action. I guess I don't have a sense of smell right now either.

"Will they… will they fix my nose too?" I ask childishly.

"Don't worry Link. They'll get you back to yourself in no time," He assures me.

"Still my child self though," I mumble.

"Yes. Unlike you, they can't even touch Vaati's curse."

I smile to myself at the reminder that I was able to beat the curse, if only just a little bit. Maybe, with some practice, I can do that a few more times. I'd only need to get into my twenties to become an adult again. And then I'd feel no guilt at returning to my family.

With those happy thoughts roaming through my head, I close my eyes again, and let the sleep return.

The next time I wake up, I feel much, much better. I can tell that the broken bones are fixed, and, when I open my eyes, I can see once more. I almost start crying at how wonderful it is to have sight once more. Especially here, in this calm, warm room. It's exactly as Elzo described, down to the flower petals, some of which are bigger than me. I breathe in through my nose, and I can smell their wonderful scent. While i'm still incredibly sore and tired, I feel like I can actually function now.

"Welcome back Link," Elzo says, smiling.

"Good to be back," I reply. My voice sounds rough still, but it's a lot stronger. "How long have I been in this room?"

"About a week. Give or take a day," Elzo replies nonchalantly.

I can't help but shudder a bit at the knowledge. I know that most of that sleep came because of my wounds, and the spider's venom. But a part of that must have been overexerting myself by using magic. From now on, I must be more careful with my new power.

The door opens, and a strange… thing comes walking in. It's shaped vaguely like a human, and it's wearing clothes, at least, though the clothes themselves are shaped like leaves that gently fall across its body, not unlike a dress. But its features are completely alien. It has light tan fur all across its body, and its face is too round. There's a distinctive animal feel, though it has very human eyes, that are green, just like mine. And, oddly enough, there are two large red dots across its face, one on each cheek, and it wears a tall, pointed red hat, shaped much like Elzo.

"Ic corri," The thing says gently. From its dress and its voice, I take it to be female.

"Err, hi," I reply.

She looks at me quizzically, and asks "Cor picc piccouri?"

"Pi," Elzo says gently, shaking his head back and forth.

The woman nods, and walks away. After a few moments, she returns, holding a strange, brown object. It's shaped vaguely like a nut, with a tiny little leaf coming out the top. But it has strange holes in the side, and it seems to be… moving. Smiling, the furry woman hands me the nut. I look at it, feeling the strange, squishy texture.

"You need to eat that, Link," Elzo says gently. "It'll taste disgusting, and it will feel like fire going through your whole body. But you can't spit it out. You have to eat the whole thing, and keep it down."

I nod, and, even though the churning surface of of the nut feels sickening, I pop it into my mouth.

I can't even begin to describe just how bad it tastes. I wouldn't put it on the same level as the worst foods I've ever eaten. I wouldn't put it on the level of any food period. I wouldn't even put it on the level of innanimate objects that no human in their right mind should ever put into their mouths. It's like the nut was designed to taste as terrible as possible, with a revulting texture that makes it so hard not to simply spit it out. But I chomp it in half a few times and, locking my teeth in place, I swallow it.

The second it hits my throat, it turns into fire. Straight fire that makes me want to open my mouth and spew it out. I have to physically grab my mouth and hold it shut with my hands in order to keep it down.

"Pic picco occor icciri poki disgusting that most people spit the first one out." Midway through the woman's sentence, her words start to translate into english in my brain. "He's quite the little trouper."

The fire calms, and, after a few moments, the horrible taste in my mouth fades.

"Link, can you understand this?" Elzo asks, in the other language. I can tell that it's a new language that I've never spoken before. I acknowledge the fact that the words he said are something to the effect of "ic opci pic occor". But somehow, my brain instantly turns the words into english.

"Yes," I reply.

"Good. Try talking like that."

Hesitantly, I try to focus on making my words come out in the other language. "Is this right?" I ask. I can tell by the words that my lips naturally form that I'm definitely not speaking english. But my brain still makes it seem like my native language. It's remarkable.

"Yes. Congratulations, you now speak Piccouri, the language of the Minish," Elzo laughs.

"How?" I ask, a bit amazed.

"You just ate what's called a jabber nut. They are magical things that allow you to learn new languages instantly. Though they taste just gross," he explains, shuddering.

"How are you feeling, dear?" The woman asks gently. I carefully look myself over, and abruptly realize that I'm almost entirely naked. I'm only wearing a small pair of undershorts, and it shows off just how many bruises, burns and scratches run across my skin, both from my fight with the spider and from my long, hard journey through the realm of the minish. Worse, I feel a sense of embarrassment. I've always been comfortable in my body. But this much exposed skin makes me feel immodest. And the body that I look down at isn't my body, but rather, the body of a child.

"Here," The lady says gently, throwing a blanket over me. It makes me feel a lot better, to cover up my body.

"Thank you," I mumble. Sighing in comfort, I roll over to my side, and close my eyes. Despite the fact that I apparently just slept for a week, I'm still completely exhausted, and sleep seems like a good idea. So, after a few moments of silence, I slip quietly into unconsciousness.

I awaken to the sound of gentle voices, speaking in Piccouri. "So you pulled this boy out of the human world?" The woman whispers, sounding a bit incredulous.

"Yes. He saved me from a few black eyed Octoroks, and then proceeded to tell me that he'd been turned into a child by Vaati. Coincidences like that don't happen. And after seeing him fight, I figured that he would be a good traveling companion, and so far, he hasn't disappointed me." Elzo's words make me smile ever so slightly. He's always pushing me to do better. It's nice to know that he actually thinks I'm okay.

"But he's clearly not human," The woman says. "He could be minish. The castle minish look much like humans. But his ears…"

"I know, I know," Elzo replies, sounding frustrated. "But he's still the best chance I have at stopping Vaati. He's tough. And he's very… kind. You know i've never been good at controlling my tongue, and holding back my anger. But he has this incredible self control. I've only seen it crack once, when I first met him. It wasn't pretty…" I can audibly hear him shudder.

"How are you doing, El?" The lady asks kindly.

"I've been better," He replies simply. "The curse has rendered me almost useless. I couldn't even muster up enough energy to use the portal."

"That boy helped you, didn't he? Even when I was healing him, he tried to share his energy with me," She interrupts him, laughing.

"Like I said, he's very kind. Like the perfect knight; noble, with a touch of gentleness. I truly wish that he wasn't dragged into this mess. But at the same time, there's something special about him. He can do things with magic I've never seen before. When he was battling the spider, he burned magic to make himself move faster and stronger. And, save Vaati, I've never seen anyone release as much magic as he did. But it goes beyond magic. Even before he knew magic, he defeated a horde of Dharkin singlehandedly. I don't have to explain to you how significant that is. I just worry that my influence will hurt him…"

"You're far too hard on yourself, El. The kid's lucky to be traveling with you. I think you'll end up helping him."

"Like I 'helped' my last apprentice?" Elzo asks miserably.

"No, like you helped me," She replies warmly.

Elzo laughs. "I've missed you Ellie."

"I've missed you too, El. The house feels so empty…"

"I know. But this village needs you. You're the only magician who can do more than make pretty lights with their power.."

"You trained me well. Just as you'll train that kid."

Elzo laughs once more. "Please don't call him a kid. It's so hard for me to avoid calling him that. But it really gets to him."

Quietly, the woman asks, "What do you want to bet he's eavesdropping right now?"

"Oh, I wouldn't be surprised. He's a frustratingly light sleeper. And he's far too polite to interrupt our conversation. Here, I'll just resolve the issue for him." Elzo hops over to my bed, and pecks me in the head. Hard.

Gasping, I sit upright. I'm still a bit out of it, but his considerate peck makes my head throb.

"So, were you eavesdropping then?" Elzo asks brusquely. I simply nod.

"Well don't expect me to be all mushy with you in the future. Ellie brings that out of me."

I nod once more, and wrap the blanket around myself. I feel wrong in leaving my skin exposed, especially in the presence of a woman.

"Oh, here, I had our seamstress make some new clothes for you. Your old ones couldn't be saved. Too many rips, and the venom ate through almost the entire shirt. She tried to make them like your old ones, but we we don't have as nice materials…" Rambling a bit, she opens the closet and pulls out some clothing. It's made of thick, coarse threads, and the color of green is much calmer. And rather than leggings, there's a simple set of brown pants. She even had some hard boots made up for me.

"I told her to make them sturdy, for your journey. Sorry that they're not as nice as your other ones," She says, handing them to me.

"Thank you," I say sincerely, pulling them on. These clothes feel less like a silly child's garment and more like worker's attire. They remind me of my old clothes that I wore underneath my armor, though I had a shirt, rather than a tunic. The familiarity is nice. And, even though it's petty, I like the fact that they make me look older.

"Are they too rough?" The woman, who I take to be Ellie, asks.

"No, they're perfect. I can't tell you what a relief it is to wear real clothing once more. I've missed having boots, and pants," I say happily.

She smiles, and asks, "Would you like me to bring you some food?"

"I'd rather get it for myself, if that's okay. I've put you through enough trouble already. And I'm rested enough that I should resume our journey," I reply. Carefully, I rise to my feet, and find them much steadier than they've been for a long while. Hesitantly, I ask, "Would you like me to leave you here, Elzo?"

"No, we need to continue. Your whole 'almost dying' thing really put us behind." He replies. Laughing, I gently pick Elzo up and place him on my head. "Goodbye Ellie. I promise that when this is all over, I'll come see you. Even if I have to force Link to carry me here."

Ellie laughs. "Farewell Elzo. It was nice to meet you, Link. Do take care of Elzo for me. And don't let him get to you. He really does think very highly of you."

"Farewell, Ellie. Thank you, for all you've done for me. I promise, I will do everything I can to break Elzo's curse. Perhaps next time we meet, I won't have to carry your brother to you on my head." She laughs, and nods. I bow gently, and I walk out of the building and into the streets of the Minish Village.

The sight takes my breath away. Miles and miles above us, the trees form a thick, dark canopy that almost completely blocks all light. The little bit of luminosity that does sneak through is tinted green. In order to cut through the darkness, spheres of pure magical light hang above the town, making me feel like I'm constantly surrounded by magic. The town itself is nice, in a strange way. The streets are simply dirt, unlike the cobblestones of the castle. And the houses are all completely different from eachother. Some look like normal wooden cottages, though they're built out of pieces of wood, rather than large planks. Others are plants, like bushes and flowers, with leaves and petals sewn together to create an enclosed space, or mushrooms that are hollowed out. And some are just random objects from the human world that are large enough to live in. I see a shoe, and a small flower pot with doors and windows attached to them

"So why'd you peg ellie as my sister?" Elzo asks, drawing my attention away from the village.

"There was clearly affection between you, but not the romantic type. You have some of the same little mannerisms, and your voices are similar. And you're named 'Elzo' and 'Ellie'. It wasn't a difficult deduction," I say, quoting him.

"I guess so. You're right, by the way. Ellie is my little sister. I didn't think I was really so transparent," He says, sighing.

"In truth, I didn't really deduce anything. I felt your magic when I gave you mine, and I felt hers in the same way. And… I don't know how, but I could tell that you two were related. Your magic came from the same bloodline," I say, feeling a bit ridiculous.

"Incredible," Elzo says, laughing.

I smile, and gently pat him on the rim, and continue moving through the village. Despite the fact that it feels like a small community, the town itself is huge, with hundreds and hundreds of houses, shops, stores, smiths, everything. At the northernmost end of the town, there lies a house made almost entirely of gold-leafed wood. The level of wealth takes me off guard, though I guess it makes sense. As a minish, it would only take a few gold coins to cover this whole house. When you're a hundred times smaller, every resource is a hundred times easier to find.

Hesitantly, I knock on the door. After a few moments, a very old minish opens it. His face contains the strange combination of both fur and wrinkles, and he's as short as I am. Still, his bright green eyes look sharp, and he waddles around at a surprisingly fast pace.

"Hello. I take it you're the stranger I've heard so much about," The man says, shaking my hand. I quickly recognize that this person must be a figure of some authority, and I perform an instinctual bow.

"Oh, you're human," He says, sounding surprised.

My eyes widen in shock. "Minish don't bow," he explains, laughing.

I nod, and, hesitantly, I say, "I did come from the human world, though I've been told that I'm not human."

"Yes, I can see that in your features. Here, have a seat, young one," He says gently, offering me a chair. I suppress my annoyance, and take the chair.

"So what brings you to my humble abode?" He asks.

"I… it's a long story," I mumble.

"I do love a good story. Care to share it?"

I think for a few moments, then nod. I've come here to ask the minish for help. I cannot do so while keeping secrets. So I tell this strange minish everything, from Vaati's curse, to my strange, magical abilities, to my journey into the realm of the minish. He's a good listener, always keeping eye contact, never interrupting. And when I've finished, he gently places his hand on my shoulder.

"You're very brave, to bear all of this silently. What can I do to help?" He asks warmly.

"I believe that were I to reforge the Blade of Salvation, I could defeat Vaati. I know that it may not break his magic, but he is a threat to the kingdom that must be removed," I explain.

"Agreed. His dark magic threatens the minish realm as well. None of us have been able to leave, for there is a large spider that circles the town, attacking those who move beyond our borders. I believe it is related to Vaati," The man says, frowning.

"I, uhm, killed that spider on my way in here," I say awkwardly.

"You killed Gohma? Very impressive," He says, patting me on the back. "It's a huge relief that we can leave the town. Our food supplies were growing scarce. You have my thanks, Link."

"So would you be able to help in reforging the Blade of Salvation?" I ask hesitantly.

The man simply shakes his head. "Anyone can reforge it. Take it to a simple blacksmith and they can connect the pieces together. Reforging it won't be enough. In the last war, the sword did bring humanity out of oppression, but in doing so, it released most of its power. The sword must now be reinfused with energy in order to serve its purpose. Otherwise, it is simply an ordinary, all be it beautiful sword."

"How do you add more energy? Is it like adding energy to a person?" I ask hopefully. If all it needs is a bit of my magic, then I could finish this whole ordeal quickly and easily.

"No. I'm afraid imbuing it with energy will take some incredibly potent substances, known as the Elemental Essences. They are scattered throughout the world and are guarded by the fiercest of creatures."

I sigh gently. Of course it has to be some big long quest that will probably result in me being killed. That's just the kind of luck I've had over the past few weeks.

"Could you tell me where I might find these essences?"

"I'll have a map drawn up for you. But Link… you don't have to do this. There are others, in either the human world or the minish world, who would gladly embark on this quest. You have already done your part. As the elder of the village, I would ask that you let us take care of you. You've been through more than any being should have to endure," He says gently.

"I'm sorry, but I do not belong to your village, and I do not have to follow your council. These are not my people. You are not my king," I answer firmly.

The elder nods, and looks at me for a few moments. Then, quietly, he says, "Just don't forget, neither are the humans. And for all you know, you could be minish."

"I know. That possibility scares me more than you can imagine," I whisper.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The elder offers me a place to stay for the night, giving me a warm slice of some sort of meat and a soft bed for the night. He tries to convince me to stay for just a few days more. But there's no real point in delaying. I feel strong, especially since I've aged myself a bit more. And I know that if I stay one more day, I'll be tempted to stay forever. The minish village is beautiful, and the magic me makes this place feel like… like home.

But my family isn't here.

So at the dawn of the day, I grab my staff, place Elzo atop my head and quietly slip away from the village. The elder gave me a map of the Essences, and there's one within Minish Woods, a few day's journey from here.

We travel in silence for a while, but Elzo abruptly breaks it by asking, "So what did you mean, when you said that you feared you were a minish?"

"Because… I have eyes just like them. And everything minish is coming naturally to me. And the world of the minish is so radically different from the human world. If I'm a minish… it means I don't belong in my own life. That I don't belong in my family." I have to choke back a sob at the very thought.

"Link, it's _your _family. You married a woman who you love, and you had children with her. The family you created is _yours_. You will always belong in it. That's how family works," Elzo snorts.

"Even though I'm not human?" I ask childishly.

"It doesn't matter what race you are. You can still be anything you want to be."

"Thanks Elzo," I say, smiling. "Sorry about bothering you with all my problems. It must be horrible to have to sit on my head and listen to me ramble all day long."

"No, your problems are quite refreshing," Elzo replies, laughing. "Though I wish you would use that thing in your head that people call a 'brain'. Really, I shouldn't have to figure everything out for you."

"I'll keep that in mind," I mutter. We lapse into silence, and I continue traveling. There's a defined path that looks to be formed by the minish, for it's the perfect size for me, and it's perfectly smooth. It makes it easy to move forwards, and I don't have to float puddles or scale rocks. So while I'm traveling, I also practice sketching out the different runes with my magic. It's a lot easier to work now, and I can easily sketch two symbols at once now. Magic, like Elzo said, works better when I just let it come how it wants to.

As I'm journeying, I start to notice that I often use magic without intending to. Like when a large beetle comes across our path, and I shout for it to go away. Magic leaks into my voice, making it sound louder, and conveying the message to the primal mind of the bug. Or when I scale a small tree, so that I can see where I am. My hands automatically fill with magic so that they stick to the bark better. I clash stones, and sparks come out. I rub my hands together and they produce heat. Cuts and bruises go away quickly, and even things like hunger and thirst are easier for me to bear. None of this happens with any noticeable light, but the magic still augments so many things that I do. I have to wonder if that magic is why I was such a strong warrior, and why I was made head guard of the king. The idea that my accomplishments are tied to something I get from birthright puts a bad taste in my mouth.

It only takes a couple of days for us to reach the location marked on the map. Surprisingly, it leads to large (or small, I guess,) building. It's made entirely out of smooth, white stone, with bushes that are so tiny that they look normal to me. The whole thing is inlaid with an exorbitant amount of gold and silver, making it sparkle gently in the sunlight.

"Wow," I mumble, staring up at it for a while.

"That's obviously where the Essence is. What are you waiting for, kid?" Elzo says impatiently.

"_Don't _call me that," I growl.

"Sorry, sorry," he replies quickly.

Sighing, I carefully open the door. It's completely dark inside, and the second I walk through, the door slams shut with a resounding thud.

Hesitantly, I summon my light, and use it to draw a glowing symbol in the air. It lights up the room with bright, white light. But keeping the symbol drains my energy away so very fast.

"Is there an easier way to do this?" I ask, panting.

"Yeah. Creating orbs of light is actually one of the easiest things to do with magic. That's why the minish village was so full of them. Everyone can make the orbs. And most minish can't do anything else." There's a sort of regret in his tone, which I can understand. When I was head guard, I tried to make sure all of the guards had my sense of duty and strength. But there were always those who lagged behind, who didn't reach their potential.

"Simply trace the symbol for light, and draw an infinity sign around it, like an eight, only sideways. Then pour energy in it," He instructs, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I nod, and quickly trace the light symbol, a small stream of luminosity following my finger. I trace a sideways eight too, and then pour strength into the symbols. It bursts with light, and, strangely, the little lines begin moving like they have a will of their own. The lines swirl and draw in, eventually forming a tight knot. With a burst of light, it comes together, creating a solid sphere of luminosity that lights up the room and makes me feel warm.

Marveling, I grab the ball from the air and hold it in my hands. It's like pure heat and energy, warming me up. I can't help but smile at how nice it feels.

Smiling, I hold the light up to Elzo, so he can feel it too.

"Yeah, yeah, it's nice," He says distastefully. "Now let's get moving."

Sighing, I gently place the light on the end of my staff, where it just stays there, glowing. With the new light, I can see the cold, stone room, and I quickly navigate past two large stone slabs and through another door. Inside, it's simply another cold, stone room, and then another, and another. On and on it goes, with room after room that's cold and empty. The pathway twists and turns with levels of stairs going up and down, so many times that I completely lose track of every sense of direction. And it's completely silent all the way through. I expected horrifying monsters that I would have to fight and battle my way through to reach the the Essence. But… the silence is somehow more disconcerting.

"Elzo?" I whisper, just to break the deafening quiet. My voice echoes throughout the empty hall.

"I'm here Link," he says gently. For all of his teasing, he always seems to know when something is genuinely bothering me. When I'm experiencing something that makes me feel how I appear to the rest of the world.

Like a child.

And I can't help but tremble at the ominous, endless silence of the stone labyrinth.

"Talk to me. Please," I whisper, afraid, for some reason, to speak with any real volume.

Elzo thinks for a few moments. Then, his warm, gently voice fills the room, speaking with a strange sort of majesty and power.

"Long, long ago, there was peace in this land. The world was separated, and yet, it was unified, with control belonging to three benevolent species of humanoids. They lived in peace, each occupying their own realm. There were the humans, who controlled the land of the giants. There were the minish, who controlled the land of the minuscule. And there were the spirits, who controlled the realm of the souls. For thousands and thousands of years, they lived completely cut off from one another, balancing the world between them. But, of course, it had to end.

It was the minish who threw off the delicate balance. Hundreds of years ago, one brilliant, albeit misguided minish, discovered something that would forever change the world. He discovered magic.

The power was a revelation to the species. It allowed them to grow and become so much more than they were. And that blessed, innocent species used their power to benefit the humans. They poured their magic into the world of the giants to bring prosperity, the likes of which had never been seen before. The world entered into a golden age, where all were blessed by the golden light of minish power.

These minish, far more powerful at magic than we will ever be, created hundreds of different portals, so that they could slip unnoticed into the world of the giants, to study and to learn. They found, to their delight, that the humans were, for the most part, as benevolent as them. That humans were more than happy to share the world with the little minish, and that they loved the opportunity to experience their magic. So thus, humans and minish bound together, living in happy harmony with one another.

But the spirit folk, who never dared enter the world of men, looked onto this blissful scene with envy. Their world was cold, and devoid of all sensation. They never knew humanity, or the joy it could bring, but they wanted to. Yet they were sealed away forever.

So after years and years of peaceful coexistence, the minish finally revealed what they knew of the spirits to the humans. They told them of the wailing, of the endless tears they heard from deep beyond the mortal realm. They told them of a sorrow so great that it plunged the light of magic into a perpetual darkness. And they pled with the humans for their support in tearing away the barrier, to help the souls.

So, by mixing the powers of humans and minish, they created an artifact of incredible strength. It was made of two golden triangles stacked upon one another. The strength was not in what these triangles were, but rather, in what they were not; complete. And it would never be able to be finished without the power of a third race to create the final triangle.

The incomplete nature of the artifact was so strong that it broke down the barrier between the spirit world and the world of man forever. And as spirits rushed in, they used a magic completely new to this world to add another triangle, completing the artifact known as the Triforce and forever joining the two worlds together.

The spirits, however, found no joy in the human world. They found the same sense of incompleteness that had always filled them. So they slowly began inhabiting bodies. They tried so hard to be gentle in claiming corporeal form. They would enter the bodies of those just minutes before their death, and the power of their spirits would rewind the bodies, bringing them back into childhood. Eventually, there were enough spirit folk that they no longer needed to steal bodies, and they formed their own society.

Thus began the most prosperous age Hyrule has ever seen. The magic of the spirits and the magic of the minish, mixed with the nobility and stature of man created a world that was truly wondrous to behold. It was the most wonderful thing this world had ever seen. But perhaps the light of the age blinded mankind to the truth.

The spirits were not benevolent. The first of them that came were relieved to be free of their torturous existence without form. But those who followed after them were born into bodies of their own, never appreciating them as a gift. And they all were born with the memories of their fathers, and what they had to endure for eternity. They saw that pain as the fault of the humans and the minish. They saw them as privileged for never having to endure the agony that being a spirit brings. They felt that they had earned, through blood and pain, the right to rule above those without their burdens.

Exercising a dark and twisted magic, the spirit folk quickly revealed to the world that they had far more power than the minish ever would. And their new bodies were stronger and faster than that of the humans. As soon as their parents were no longer around to stop them, the new race of spirits laid waste to the land of the humans, burning, pillaging and slaughtering. Their power was awesome, and terrible at the same time. The minish tried to defend the humans, but they couldn't bear to kill, like the other races could. They were so kind and gentle…

The humans fought valiantly. But eventually, too many families were left without fathers and sons, and the blood spilt grew too vast to ignore. So humanity surrendered, and the minish left, retreating to their own little worlds. For years and years, the spirits ruled over the humans, making them slaves and stripping them of all strength and dignity. But the minish didn't stop trying to help solve the problem they created. They pooled their power, and used magic from all around the world to create one sword that would save humanity. The Sword of Salvation.

One minish bravely brought the sword into the realm of the humans, and gave it unto a hero. That hero used its power to rally his people into a fight, the magnitude of which the world had never seen before. The humans overthrew their oppressors, killing off the evil that had kept them chained. They rid the world of the spirit men and women, destroying their very essences. And then they found that, to their astonishment, there also existed children, too small to have taken any part in the horrible oppression that had gripped mankind. But… the humans determined that the spirit folk were evil. So they killed all of the children in cold blood, exterminating the race. The few that the humans didn't kill fled into hiding.

And so the balance of the world has shifted back in favor of the prosperous humans, led by the bloodline of the man who bore the Sword of Salvation. And the gentle minish refuse to speak with the race that committed such atrocity. Refuse to acknowledge any among them except those who couldn't possibly carry such darkness in their hearts; their children. The minish will forever live in regret, that they fostered the war between human and spirit. And the minish who discovered magic will forever be held responsible, for connecting the worlds that should never have touched. His name is blackened out of history, never to be said aloud," Elzo finishes quietly.

"Is… is that true?" I ask hesitantly. I grew up hearing stories about the great warrior who led his people out of oppression. But to me, they've always been fairy tales that existed to teach children lessons they can't learn from reality. Just like the Piccouri…

"Depends on your definition of truth. To some, there is nothing more real than those tales. But to others, they are just the stories of ancestors with too much imagination," He replies.

"But… of all the stories you knew, you had to tell me the one of ghosts?" I ask, feeling cold despite my warm light.

"Forgive me. It was just the ramblings of a very old man," Elzo replies, real sorrow in his voice.

"No, it was… it was important. It shows that peace is not a guarantee, but rather a constant war. That nobility is in preserving peace while it exists, and creating peace when there is none. It is by those ideals that I've always lived my life. It is by them that I have killed." I say solemnly.

Elzo smiles a bit, and we continue on. I would ask him to speak, but far at the end of the hallway, I can see a bit of light. Real, natural light. So I move towards it in silence, hoping that it holds freedom from this stone tomb.

Finally, I reach a huge, locked door, made entirely of steel. Sunlight drips through the massive lock, which explains the light I saw before. Hesitantly, I push on the door, but it doesn't open.

"The key must be back further. We'll have to retrace our steps, more carefully this time," Elzo says brusquely.

"No," I reply, trembling. The thought of going back into the quiet stone fills me with an incredible sense of fear. With determination, I access my inner light and, rather than using it to form a symbol, I somehow project it outside of myself. A large glowing sphere moves out of me and into the lock. I can almost feel the inner mechanisms of the door, and what it will take for it to open. It's easy, so easy, to get my magic to do just that. To turn the right gears, pull the right levers and ultimately throw open the door.

Sunlight bursts through, bringing a smile to my lips. The door doesn't lead to a room, as I'd thought, but a large corridor, with a domed ceiling and ornate, glass windows. At the center there's a massive statue of a knight in armor, gripping his sword. The statue is made of a strange green material that almost looks like gel, of some sort.

In front, a small blue vase is inexplicably keeping a green, glowing sphere aloft by blowing air out. Carefully, I make my way towards it. I can feel the energy, coming from the sphere. It's so much more powerful than anything I can muster. I can't help but reach my hand out, to touch it. It brings an incredible sense of warmth to me, and my hand lingers on the stone for a long while. But eventually, I stick it in my pocket.

"Best take that jar too. It looks like a pretty powerful artifact," Elzo says, gesturing. I nod, and grab the little jar. As soon as I pull it off the pedestal, the jar stops blowing out air. I inspect it, and note that the bottom is glowing, half green half red. When I press my hand to the red side, it blows out air. When I push the green, it sucks in.

"Incredible," I whisper, smiling.

I turn to leave the way I came. But as I do, a strange things happens. A strong gust fills the enclosed room, and tiny black specks travel straight through the solid wall. They rush into the huge, green statue, and it slowly begins shuddering.

"What's that?" I ask, confused. It looks just like the darkness that came from the spider.

"Link," Elzo says slowly. "Run. Run now, as fast as you can."

Fearfully, I move towards the door, but it immediately slams shut and locks in place. I turn slowly towards the statue. But it's no longer there.

Instead, I see a churning mass of what appears to be green goo, standing where the statue was. The darkness moves through it, circulating like blood. It shudders, then shapes itself like a giant Chu. It even creates two massive eyes. Their pupils are black. Completely and utterly black.

It gazes at me for a few moments, then abruptly hurls itself at me. Gasping, I jump away, avoiding the massive glob of goo as it shoots at me. I pull out my staff and swing it at the creature with as much force as I can manage. But the staff simply embeds itself, and the goo forms around it, making it completely impossible to pull out. The huge monster turns and jumps at me once more. I don't think it can manage anything else. But the attack is still devastating enough to send a shockwave throughout the chamber and throw me against the wall.

I try to summon my inner light, but it doesn't appear. I'm just too afraid to summon enough focus. I've never felt fear like this in my life. The creature is massive, almost as big as a human would be to me. I can't escape. And I have absolutely no way to fight it.

"What do I do?" I ask desperately.

"Use the jar, Link!" Elzo screams in response. I jump to dodge another attack, but the jolt it sends through the earth makes me lose my footing and fall. Shuddering, I stand up and press my hand against the green side of the jar and point it at the creature. It immediately begins pulling air in and, after a few moments, it pulls a glob of goo out, about as big as my head.

Before the goo can hit me, I slam my hand on the red side, shooting the goo out like an arrow at the wall. It slams into the wall and begins dripping down the side.

The creature roars, and jumps at me again. But I dodge it, and pull goo out once more. It grows the slightest bit smaller at the loss.

I keep pulling out goo, and it keeps futilely jumping at me. For more than an hour, I dodge the monster's jumps and pull out goo. It grows smaller and smaller, until it's only about three times as large as me.

The monster howls in pain, and, for the first time, switches its tactic. It uses the small base it has to swing the entirety of itself at me. I perform a quick backflip, and narrowly dodge it, but the blow knocks the jar right out of my hand.

Triumphantly, the creature jumps on top of the jar, absorbing it. It then stands still and looks at me, its cold black eyes sending fear throughout me.

I look at it as well, wishing there was something I could do. Then, abruptly, I realize that there is. That jar was activated by my touch. And my touch can still activate it, even though it's in the creature. I don't need to use my hand to touch it.

I can touch it with my light.

I focus with all the effort I can muster, and concentrate solely on pushing the red side of the jar. The creature shudders for a few moments. Then, the jar spits out a lot of air. The creature grows bigger and bigger as it inflates, and suddenly, with a loud pop, it explodes, sending slime everywhere. I myself get covered in the revolting material.

The bits of darkness slowly come together once more. I feel a gust, and it starts to carry the darkness off. But, all of the sudden, the darkness simply vanishes, and the gust fades. I find myself wiping the slime off myself, and wading through the stuff to retrieve the jar.

"Leave it," Elzo instructs. "We need to leave right now."

I nod, and run back into the darkness. I don't ask Elzo what that creature was, or why it's been chasing me. I don't create any light to see. I don't even ask Elzo to fill the horrible silence.

Because I don't want to hear the inevitable tremor my voice will carry.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

After what feels like hours, I make it out of the stone labyrinth. I can't even describe how wonderful it is to see the moonlight, and the impossibly open spaces of the minish world. Smiling, I wander over to a large bush and rest my head against one of the leaves, pulling Ezlo off my head.

"So… can you please explain to me what just happened?" I ask hesitantly. The fear has, for the most part, faded now that I'm out in the open. I've never liked enclosed spaces or ghost stories, so an enclosed space filled with a possessed goo statue is pretty much my worst nightmare. I feel a lot better, surrounded by the comforting sights and sounds of the minish world.

"It's very complicated," Ezlo says evasively.

"Then let me see if I can figure it out. The spider died, and darkness came out of its body. That same darkness went into a statue, and turned it into this massive chu… thing. You told me that spirits came into this world. That they used a dark and vile magic, and that they hated humanity. So, logically, the darkness was a spirit that's been following me and trying to kill me." I somehow keep my voice calm throughout the whole explanation, though the very thought sends shivers down my spine.

"Look Link, the story I told you wasn't… it wasn't real. There are no such things as ghosts. That was probably just a trap laid for anyone who tried to retrieve the essence. That's it," He says softly.

"Don't lie to me," I say harshly. "Despite what I look like, I'm _not _a child! And I'm not just going to swallow everything you tell me. I don't deserve to be lied to. I know you have secrets, and I'm okay with that. But that thing tried to kill me. I have a right to know what it was."

Ezlo looks at me for a few moments. He sighs, his whole body inflating. "There are some things left best without explanation. Knowledge is a very dangerous thing, boy. It fills the heart with the need to learn even more. It sets you on a path, one which you cannot travel backwards down. There are certain bits of knowledge which can forever haunt your nightmares and give you responsibilities that you know you'll never fulfill. In some things, it truly is better to be as a child, and turn your eyes away from the impure."

"You make it sound like some earth shattering revelation. Why is it so bad if I know that it was a ghost? I can handle it," I say incredulously.

"Perhaps you're right. I have been known to be… paranoid, you could say. At any rate, you were correct in that you were attacked by a spirit. But I wouldn't fret. As you might have noticed, the spirit died the second time. And if it had any companions, they would've attacked by now. I believe we're safe. I apologize for panicking. I have a long history with… spirits," He says comfortingly.

"Why do I get the feeling that you're hiding something from me?" I ask hesitantly.

"Probably because I'm hiding something from you," Ezlo replies. I laugh, but don't interrogate Ezlo any further. He's said everything that he's going to say on the matter.

"Why did the spirit chase _me _though?"

"There's no way to be sure," he answers. From his tone, I gather that he probably knows the answer, but won't tell me. It's hard to suppress my annoyance at his secrecy. As a guard, it was my job to understand everything, so that I could keep my king safe from any threat. Secrecy doesn't bode well with me.

To distract myself, I set about making a fire. Rather than grabbing to sticks to spark it, I simply expect sparks to fly out of my left hand. They do, of course, and the fire gets going, warming up the cold forest. Yawning, I lay myself down on some soft blades of grass.

"Link... Understand that my silence is not an insult. You shouldn't have ever been pulled into this world. And, if I were to tell you… certain things, they would pull you in further. You can still regain your life now. But there are some things that you can't go back from," He says gently.

"You don't have to protect me," I mumble.

"Yes Link, I do."

Sighing, I turn over and drift into a restless sleep. Dark spirits plague my nightmares.

Ezlo and I travel for a few days more. The elder's map also included a list of nearby portals, and there's one much closer than the one we used to enter minish village. Ezlo and I decide to head back to the castle to inform the king of my progress, so that he can continue it should I die.

We make it to the portal in a matter of days. It looks almost exactly like the one we used last time. I have to bounce my way up to the highest mushroom, which is actually kind of fun.

"Go ahead, I'm ready," I say gently.

"Why don't you activate the portal, Link?" Ezlo asks, smiling.

"I don't know how. And I can barely manage two or three symbols. I don't think I'm able to do six yet," I reply awkwardly. It's so very strange for him to just assume that I can perform that magic. I haven't been able to use my magic for anything even remotely substantial yet. I'm really a lousy magician.

"It's simple. The portal just needs to be told what to do. Last time, I used the symbols m-i-n-i-s-h, to make us minish. Now, simply create the symbols h-u-m-a-n. It's only five letters. I'm sure you can manage that much," He says impatiently.

Hesitantly, I summon my light, and use it to start drawing the symbols. I get the first four done, but during the fifth, I can't keep them together, and they crumble apart. Sweating, I try again and again, but I just can't get my mind to hold the symbols in place.

"You're still trying far too hard Link. And you're thinking too much. Magic isn't about keeping a stranglehold on the power. It's about directing it. Don't control it. Just direct it," Ezlo instructs.

"I… I don't know how," I whisper.

"Magic is no different than a sword. You cannot control with perfect precision where the blade will go. You cannot tame the power it brings. Rather, you must let the natural ability you have take over, and use the sword as a representation of what you desire. There are those who move like automatons, believing that simple technique and form can win any fight. But in reality, it is about using the power of emotion to direct the weapon. Don't try to control the symbols with your mind. Control them with your soul. Let your desires fuel your magic."

I nod, and rather than focusing solely on pushing out my light, I focus on my desire to be human once more. To be able to interact with the humans I haven't seen in so long, and to be able to experience the only life I've ever known.

The light within me somehow responds to my desires directly, and begins tracing those letters. I still have to gently guide it to make them, but it's less like i'm forcing the magic to come out and more like the magic is coming out because I want it to. Ezlo was right. Magic is like a weapon within my hands; one that I cannot simply manipulate with my mind. But magic can do things that no sword can.

All five of the symbols come out easily, and they glow in a bright circle around me. But unlike Ezlo's symbols, they don't start spinning, and they don't transform me in any way.

"What do I do now?" I ask, focusing as hard as I can on keeping them up.

"Simply apply them to yourself. Place them on yourself using your mind. The portal will do the rest."

I nod, and I try to push the symbols on myself. It's almost like I'm communicating with an outside entity. Like I'm _telling _my magic that I want to be made into a human. But Ezlo is right; when I direct the magic onto myself, the symbols immediately begin spinning. They go faster and faster, and slowly they draw in on me. As they press against my skin, I shoot into the air, flying through the tiny hole at the top. In one second, the entire world shrinks. Suddenly, the stump isn't like a massive platform, but a stool that I'm precariously balanced on. Being so _huge _disorients me, and I lose my footing and fall off the stump.

The ground feels… weird. I've gotten used to the minish dirt, which is a lot less sandy, and more composed of large stones. But weirder, I don't seem to be wearing any clothes all the sudden. And Ezlo isn't on my head any more.

I quickly glance around, but thankfully, the forest is completely empty. There's no one here to see my sudden immodesty.

"Ezlo?" I call hesitantly. I get no response. After a few moments, I hesitantly place my head on the floor and look into the tiny hole at the base of the stump. It's weird to see the stump look so small now. The mushrooms that I was standing on only moments ago are now barely as big as my hands.

On the top of one mushroom, I see a tiny little hat on the top of one of the mushrooms, standing next to a pair of clothes. Ezlo slowly hops his way off of the mushroom and out of the stump. Very, very carefully, I put my hand next to him, and he hops onto it.

"What happened?" I ask. He opens his beak, but I can't hear anything he's saying. Frowning, I bring him up close to my ear.

Barely, I hear his little voice say "You didn't apply the runes to me!"

"Oh. Sorry. Can you grow yourself and my clothes?" I ask, knowing that he can surely hear my loud voice.

"No, I don't have enough energy. You'll have to shrink yourself, and then grow us both up this time," He says, sounding annoyed. Sighing, I put him back on the ground, and climb up onto the stump again. I have to suppress my annoyance and embarrasment, and focus solely on my desire to shrink again. It works though, and I quickly find myself falling down the tiny hole and onto the soft, squishy mushroom. Strangely, becoming a minish again feels almost… relieving. Like the world's returning to its proper proportion. It's probably because I've been a minish for so long now.

"I would've told you that you needed to grow _me _as well, but I thought it would be obvious," Ezlo says, sounding annoyed. I ignore his comment, and pull my clothes on. Somehow, they weren't harmed whatsoever by the whole thing.

I take a few moments to catch my breath. Then I pull Ezlo onto my head once more, and call back the light. This time, rather than applying them just to myself, I apply them to Ezlo and my clothes shoot up into the air with me, and they grow as well. Though I still end up falling backwards off the stump.

"Well, took you long enough," Ezlo says grumpily.

"I can't believe I just did that. This means that I can become a minish whenever I want to. And I can show other people this world too. Thank you, Ezlo," I say happily. The prospect of showing my friends and family the minish world brings a smile to my lips.

"Be careful Link. In my experience, the minish world terrifies humans."

"_I _like it…" I mumble.

"And you're not human. In fact, your eyes suggest that you have at least some minish blood in you. You feel comfortable in the realm of the minish probably because you _are _a little bit minish. But to a human, there can be nothing more terrifying than becoming a hundred times less than what they were before. I would advise you against showing them this world."

I nod, and without another word, continue in the direction of the castle. It's… disconcerting being so very large. The trees seem so clustered together, the ground so flat and empty, and the animals so tiny. Instead of being able to feed myself from one berry, I have to constantly gather food, and there aren't dewdrops that are large enough to drink. And as I lie down to sleep, the hard, empty ground is incredibly uncomfortable. I've gotten used to large, soft blades of grass, and it takes me hours and hours of tossing and turning on the cold, hard dirt to finally get to sleep.

It only takes a few days of traveling to get out of Minish Woods. As I'm clearing the premises, a mass of darkness appears directly in front of me. It slowly rises, forming a small, hooded figure with wrinkled skin and red eyes.

"Vaati," I spit, pulling out my staff.

"Hmm. You'll have to remind me who you are," He says idly.

"You took _everything _from me, and you _don't remember?!_" I scream, every fiber of my being filled with rage.

"_Link_," I inexplicably hear Ezlo's voice in my head. "_You need to calm down. I know it's hard, but you cannot lose yourself to your anger, or you will die.'" _I breathe in deeply, and try to stem my all-consuming rage. It doesn't really work. I'm in an anger so deep that it tints the entire world black.

"Oh, so _you're _the soldier that jumped in front of that curse. How interesting," He says, laughing. "A journey like this is much too dangerous for a child such as yourself."

I remain silent. If I open my mouth, I don't think I'll like the words it will say.

"And Ezlo, my friend! It's been too long. I can see you're still wearing... the shabbiest of clothing," He says, laughing. Something about his high pitched, arrogant voice makes me want to slap him across the face. He's like a spoiled child in everything he does. But he's been spoiled with unstoppable power.

"Well, enough with the pleasantries. I've come to deliver a warning. See, your 'mission' has been interfering with my purposes. I was expecting to find that a strong warrior with an army backing him was doing all of these things. It does, after all, take considerable strength to fell one of the spirits. But now I see that it's just a weak little boy, with a powerful staff and a powerful hat," He spits. "Let me make things very, very clear for you."

He holds his hand up, and immediately, a powerful mist of darkness grabs hold of me and lifts me into the air, putting pressure on every inch of my skin. My body slowly shrinks, until I'm as young as I was when I started this whole mess. I feel the darkness enter me, and it almost seems to linger there. Gasping, I fall to the floor. My staff literally crumbles to dirt in my hands as Vaati points at it.

"I've put a black seal on my magic, meaning Ezlo won't be able to meddle with it anymore. Abandon any ideas you have about being powerful. I could crush you without a second thought. I could make your fate a thousand times worse. But I want you to serve as a living reminder that none can break me. I will always be the most powerful man in existence. And you will always be a worthless, pathetic child. Goodbye, Link." Laughing, he surrounds himself with darkness, and, with a small pop, he vanishes. I'm left lying on the floor.

The anger grips me, and, unable to hold it back, I scream unintelligibly, letting the anger consume everything within me. I close my eyes, and I can feel the rage, like a sentience, rushing around me, burning, devouring. It feels good, to let it rampage.

"Link stop!" Ezlo shouts. His voice penetrates the anger, but not enough to make it go away. Instead, I have to focus on forcing the vile emotion out of me. Like forcing infection from a wound. It's hard to let go of the rage, because all that lies behind it is sadness.

Slowly, ever so slowly, my system calms, and the rage fades. I open my eyes, and find that I'm suddenly in a large crater that appears to have been cut from the earth. There are small fires burning all around me, and large slashes in the earth.

"Come, we need to leave. Vaati's magic is still here," Ezlo says gently. I nod; obviously, he's trying to scare me by causing destruction all around me. And maybe the rage was his doing as well.

Though I know that the raw sorrow I feel is completely my own.

After walking in silence, Ezlo hesitantly says, "I know that that was… discouraging. But we're still alive. And Vaati has no idea that you can practice magic. There's still hope Link."

"And I'm still a child. I'll always be a child," I whisper. Ezlo simply remains silent.

We make it to the town before nightfall. I move through the busy street without attracting any attention. Seeing all of these faces, many of whom are familiar, should really cheer me up. But instead, everything seems so alien now. I used travel these streets as the king's guard, when people would smile or even bow at me in respect. Now, I'm just a strange child who people completely ignore.

"_Link, the castle is north,_" Ezlo says, speaking in my mind again.

"I know," I say out loud.

"_Where are we going?" _He asks.

"I'm going to visit my mother," I reply quietly. To his everlasting credit, he doesn't question this. I know that I can't return to my family. But I need _someone _to tell about all of the insane things that have happened to me. And my mother has green eyes, like me, so maybe she'll be able to confirm what I am. And… there are times when you just need the comfort that only a mother can bring.

Since my father died years ago, my mother inherited his entire estate. But she, like me, didn't want a large house. So she simply lives in a small cabin on the edge of the town. Every sunday, my family would have dinner with her. She and Navinne grew very close. I have to wonder if they still are, now that I'm no longer present.

I hesitate, and gently knock my little fist on her door. Almost immediately, she opens it. For a split second, there's complete silence, and I can't bring myself to look her in the eye. But then, to my complete surprise, she picks me up and hugs me in a tight grip. "You're alive!" She exclaims, laughing and crying at the same time. In a strange way, it's relieving to have _someone _recognize me.

She simply holds me for a few moments. It's so strange, being small enough that my mother can actually pick me up. It reminds me of my childhood. In a good way.

"Sorry," She sniffs, hastily putting me down. Gently, she closes the door, but beyond that, she doesn't move whatsoever. She just looks at me.

It's Ezlo who breaks the odd silence. Hesitantly, he pokes his beak and eyes out, and gets a decent look at the woman. She gasps a bit, but doesn't say anything.

"Millie? Is that you?" He asks quietly.

"_Ezlo_?" She asks.

"It _is _you." Abruptly, Ezlo starts laughing. "I can't believe that, of all the people in the world, _you're _Link's mother."

"_Do not _insult her," I growl.

"Relax Link. Me and Ezlo knew each other when I was young," She says calmingly.

"It's so good to see you're alive and well," Ezlo says, smiling.

"I wish I could say the same of you. What happened to you? What happened to _both_ of you?" She asks, frowning.

"It's a long story. But I think Link here needs to sleep. He's been through a lot," Ezlo says, looking down at me. I realize that he's probably right. My whole body is shaking, and it's all I can do to remain standing. Vaati's magic left me completely and utterly drained.

"Of course. Sorry, I just… I didn't expect any of this. I can't tell you how relieved I am," She says, hugging me once more.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want you to see me like… this," I mumble.

"Link, it doesn't matter what you look like. You'll always be my son, and I'll always love you. That's what mothers are for," She says, smiling.

I smile too, and let her gently guide me to the couch. I let her lay me down, pull off my tunic and my shoes and gently tuck me in with a few soft blankets. It's nice, to feel cared for.

"Here, let me light a fire for you," She says, moving over to the kindling. Sleepily, I point at it, and a few sparks fly down on the wood, lighting it almost immediately.

My mom freezes in place. Then, quietly, she asks, "Are you learning magic?"

I nod, a bit worried by her tone. She sighs, and carefully pulls Ezlo off of the table. "Get some sleep, Link. Me and Ezlo have a lot to talk about."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

I sleep restfully. As I come to, I feel much less tired. Ezlo and my mom are sitting next to each other on the couch. I think they were talking, but at seeing me open my eyes, they've both fallen silent.

"Good morning," My mom says quickly, to clear up the momentary awkwardness. I don't reply. I suddenly have no idea what to say to this woman. She raised me with kindness, and I've always loved her. But my entire life, she was lying to me about what she was. And now, just like Ezlo, she's keeping secrets from me.

"So you never did say what you came here for," Ezlo says bluntly.

"I needed to speak to my mom. To tell her about everything that's happened, and to… to have her comfort me," I mumble, my face going a bit red.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" He asks impatiently.

"You two were up talking all night. I'm sure she already knows everything I would've said and more."

"Link, we weren't talking about that. Ezlo and I were just talking about… life in general. It's been thirty three years since we've last seen each other. We were just catching up," She says comfortingly. I smile, feeling a bit childish for my sulky attitude. I just did not expect any of this. And I honestly don't know how to deal with it.

After a few moments thought, I tell her everything. For a long, long while, I talk, telling her about the fateful day when I was transformed into a child, and every step I've taken to try and rid myself of that curse. When I finally get to my meeting with Vaati, my eyes grow watery at my own description of the events.

"I was able to puncture his curse before, but now, there's no hope of breaking it. He promised me that I would never be able to break his curse. I can feel the dark magic within me, and I know that it's far more powerful than anything I'll ever be able to manage. And… I don't think his curse will ever allow me to age. He promised me that I will be like this forever. No matter how hard I try, no matter what forces I gather to combat Vaati, I'll never be able to return to my family," I finish, my voice reduced to a mere whisper.

My mother gently grabs my hand, and squeezes it reassuringly. "I… I don't know what to say. I can't imagine what this must feel like for you. I don't know where you get this incredible nobility from, Link. I'm so very proud of you. You've saved so many lives."

Her words warm my heart ever so slightly. It is nice, knowing that at least one person appreciates my suffering.

"But Link… you can still return home," My mom says gently.

"As what? My wife's son? My son's brother?" I ask bitterly.

"They miss you terribly. They still come for dinner every Sunday, and Navinne comes a lot more. I think it's just because I remind her of you. The first few weeks, she would just start crying at the smallest things, and I still can't say your name in front of her, because of the look of pain she gets when she hears it. Your family is incomplete without a father, Link."

"And I'm not a father anymore!" I shout, trying desperately to hold back tears. Nothing brings more pain than the thought of my family suffering. "No matter how hard I try, I'll never be. As my family grows, I'll be stuck like this. Can you imagine how… how sick it would be for my wife to be elderly while I'm still a child? I can't take care of my own family anymore. And before, at least, I had hope that I could some day return to them. Now that's been wrenched away too. So all that's left is for me to take my revenge on the man who did this to me."

"You can always go home," My mom whispers.

"Then why didn't you? You're minish, and yet, you've lived in the human world for years and years. Why didn't you go home?"

"Link-" Ezlo begins in a warning tone.

"No, he should know," My mother cuts him off. "I'm sorry. I should have told you these things long ago."

She thinks for a few moments and, in the voice of a storyteller, begins speaking. "I was born in the castle a long time ago. During that time, there was a plague that had swept forth throughout all of the inhabitants, both minish and human. My parents took me and ran, trying to hide me away from the illness. But as we traveled to the forest, they begin deteriorating, and the signs of plague showed up in them. They kept me as separate as they could from it, and somehow managed to get me deep within the forest without infecting me. But they perished long before we reached the village.

I was only a little girl at the time, and their loss hit me hard. But as you probably know, it can be very easy to fend for yourself in the minish realm. For a while, I simply waited, eating, drinking and sleeping. But the loneliness grew unbearable, so I traveled for weeks to get to the village. They accepted me, even though I looked so different from them. They gave me a home, and fresh clothing, and made sure I was cared for. They even gave me an apprenticeship with a talented magician. He'd thought I had potential.

I lived in that life for years, and I was happy there. But it all changed one day. There was a child found on the brink of death. He was stabbed with one of my kitchen knives. There was blood in my house. And with his dying breath, he told everyone that I had killed him.

And suddenly, the people who I had considered family all thought me a killer. Minish, unlike humans, don't execute people for their crimes. Instead, they banish them. I was taken to a portal, turned into a human, and a spell was put on me so that no matter how hard I tried, I could not use the portal to become minish. Except… the magician who cast the spell was my master. He told me that he believed me, and knew I would never do something so horrible. He said that he didn't really put the spell on me, and that when I was ready, I could return home."

"But you never did," Ezlo says softly. "Everyone knows now that you didn't commit the crime. The one who did blatantly confessed. He used magic to fool the eyes of the child, and he stole his implements of murder from your home. The people know you didn't do anything wrong, Millie."

"It's been so long," She whispers.

"You can go home," He says gently.

My mom looks over at me hesitantly, as if asking permission. I can't help but laugh. "Mother, you've been far too lonely over the years. If you want to go, you should. Just… say goodbye to my wife first."

"I will, I promise. It's just… it's been so long since I've seen the minish world, and the people there. I do miss them terribly. Just… promise me that you'll visit me, should I return there," She pleads gently.

"Of course. I can enter the minish world whenever I want to now," I say, a bit smugly.

Her eyes widen, and she looks over to Ezlo. He nods at the unspoken question, ever so slightly. I can't help but feel a small bit of anger at the fact that they're hiding things from me.

"I have one more question. Was my father human?" I ask, trying to distract myself.

My mom quickly glances at Ezlo again, then back at me. "I'm sorry Link, I can't tell you."

"But you know. And you know too, Ezlo. You've always known what race he was, probably from my ears. And you also know who Vaati is, and you probably know what his purposes are too. And you know why I'm being pursued by the spirits. But you won't tell me any of that. I have been nothing but open and honest with you. Both of you. And everything is vieled to me."

"Link-"

"But you know what's worse?" I ask, cutting him off. "You both know who I am. You know that I'm a grown man, and that I've lived my life with nobility and respect. And for all of that, you're treating me like I'm too stupid to make my own decisions. Like I won't be able to handle the information. You're treating me like a child. I can understand that from my mother. She's always tried to shelter me. But like I told you before, I refuse to travel with someone who treats me like a child. Goodbye. I hope your secrets serve you well," I spit. Without another word, I turn and walk out the door.

"Fine," Ezlo calls out. Hesitantly, I turn around, and look at him. His eyes hold a strange mixture of anger and pity.

"You want to bear the burdens my secrets bring? Fine. Go ahead and make yourself miserable. You're an _adult, _you have every right to pain. I'll tell you _all _of my secrets, so that you can truly understand the depths of human sorrow," He says bitterly.

"Ezlo, don't-" my mother starts to say.

"No Ellie, he's an _adult_, he deserves to know," Ezlo says, cutting her off. "And yes, I know what your father was. Anyone with a brain could've figured it out. Your mind just didn't want to put the pieces together. It didn't want to make that connection. But sure, I'll make it for you. Link, your father was Dharkin. You're half minish, half Dharkin."

"What?" I ask, utterly confused. Dharkin are monsters. The eternal enemies of humanity, who have killed countless of innocents in their perpetual attacks.

Dharkin are the creatures that I personally exterminated.

"Think about it. Use that dusty head of yours for just one second Link. The foot soldiers wore simple loincloths, and looked like monsters, with either fur, or wrinkly skin, and odd coloration. But their ears were all pointed, and their features were sharp, like yours. Have you ever looked under the armor of those who led the Dharkin hordes? Did you look on the face of the last Dharkin you killed?"

"Yes," I whisper, my whole body going cold. "I pulled off his helmet. I saw his face. And… he looked so human. So very human… And then I stabbed his own sword through his heart."

"For all you know, _that _was your father," Ezlo says condemningly. "You were born of the most feared and despised creatures in all the world. Did you ever wonder why you were so much faster and stronger than the other warriors? Did you ever wonder why you never got sick, why you barely slept, why you could cut wood with your fingernails, why your skin was so tough, why you were so short as a kid yet so tall as an adult? Do you ever have a hard time stringing words together like a _regular _human being can? Do you ever just feel like acting as though you're a stupid, rambling beast like your father?"

"Stop it!" My mother shouts, ending the stream of painful questions. The scary thing is, he's right. He's absolutely right. I was a better warrior at this age than most people ever become. I was faster and stronger than everyone else. And… I was barely able to write and read, and yes, sometimes I do have problems stringing my words together. I don't sleep well. I never have. And I've always had to be careful, because my emotions tend to rampage through me, making me lose control.

Making me feel like a stupid, mindless beast.

"Link, he's not… it's not…"

"No, he's right. I'm a mutant, hybrid… thing. I'm an abberation. A monster," I whisper, my little eyes filling with tears. I've done so much crying over the last few weeks. So many tears…

My mom leans over, and hugs me. Her embrace is familiar, and comforting. Strangely, it almost makes me feel… human. It's a nice feeling, all things considered.

"You're a great man, Link. You always have been. It doesn't matter who or what your father was."

"To think, that a Dharkin was guarding that king. That a Dharkin was his friend. That he was going to make a Dharkin his heir. And… I spread it to my children too. Please… don't tell them. Can you imagine how repulsed they'd be? How they'd be hated?" I ask desperately.

"Of course. But Link, you have nothing to be ashamed of," My mother says softly.

"I'm Dharkin!" I shout, filled with despair. "The knights are supposed to kill me on sight! How could you stand to raise me as a son? How could… how could you _ever _marry a Dharkin?"

"It's… It's complicated," My mother says, looking close to tears herself. "When I came to the castle, I was still so young. I was thrown into a new world that I didn't understand, and I didn't have any money, or any skills, or even any family. I was so alone. I was quickly reduced to begging, and I ended up as an urchin in the street, starved and covered in rags. I lived like that for a long, long time. And then… _he _came.

He was a handsome noble, who had no buisness being in the alleyway. He saw me, and he… he smiled at me. He took me by the hand, and told me I was far too beautiful to be there, in that dreary street. He took me to a cozy, warm resteraunt, and spent the entire time singing my praises. He was so very kind to me, and I was used to people spitting on me. He courted me for a few weeks, and asked for my hand in marrige. I don't think I ever really loved him. But he was charming, and he made my life in the human world bearable.

I didn't know what he really was. He looked perfectly human. But when you were born… I knew the second I saw your face. And from the moment you were born, he stopped talking to me. Refused to acknowledge my presence. Instead, he watched you like a hawk. I realized that he only ever married me because he wanted to mix minish and Dharkin blood. To see what it would produce. But whatever he was looking for, he didn't find. So he left."

"He's… he's alive?" I ask quietly. She nods.

"I'm sorry he put you through that. I'm sorry you were left alone to raise his terrible, mutant child," I whisper.

"Link, you're not terrible. You're good. You can apply any word you want to yourself, but you'll never be a bad person. I'm so sorry. I wish I could've given you a normal father, who would stay with you forever, who you could be proud of. But I don't regret marrying him. Not for one moment. Because I can't imagine a better son than you. I wouldn't give you up for the world. You have nothing to be ashamed of," she says, gripping my hand.

"How am I supposed to be okay with this?" I ask desperately. "Dharkin are evil. Everyone knows that. What am I supposed to think of myself? I've killed so many of the Dharkin, because they're evil. So… either I'm evil along with them, or I've committed genocide to a race who didn't deserve it. I have so much blood on my hands…"

My mother grabs me, and forcefully turns my head towards the mirror on her wall. "Look," She says softly. My eyes dart away from my own reflection, because looking at it just reminds me of what I've become. But after a moment, I look at myself. The face is soft, and despite everything, it looks somewhat… human. My face carries a very human expression of sadness. My eyes, though a minish shade of green, hold human intelligence and human tears. There's a touch of human kindness and nobility. Since hearing I was Dharkin, my mind had created a new image of my face, with cold hard lines and dark, deathly eyes. But nothing has changed. I'm still… _me._

"Can you remember the eyes of the Dharkin you fought?" She asks quietly. I nod. My memory has never been very good, but I can always picture those eyes. Dark, soulless eyes with no empathy, or pity.

"Why did you kill the Dharkin? Why did you kill off the last of them?"

"I was protecting my kingdom. I wanted to make it safe for my family," I whisper.

"And that's the difference between you and them. They wanted to kill. You wanted to protect," My mother says, gently gripping my shoulder.

"It all amounts to the same thing. It all ends in death. So much death... I really am Dharkin."

"Link-"

"That's what I am, isn't it?" I ask, cutting her off.

She sighs gently. "Link, you're my son. You're a good man. Nothing can change that."

"I just… I don't know what I'm supposed to think. How I'm supposed to handle this. I feel so… wrong," I mutter.

"Because there are some things that make you question everything, that unravel emotion like string and shatter the fragile misconceptions we carry. You can't imagine the secrets I carry, Link. Transparency is ideal for those who never bear the dark truths, like you. But the second you heard one secret, one tiny, insignificant secret… You immediately tried to hide it. Asked that your family never knew. Do you understand now Link?" Ezlo asks.

I nod. Never, in my wildest imagination, could I have predicted _this. _Perhaps it's just a virtue of living a happy life. I just could never imagine such darkness in my world. But it was always there. Hiding in plain sight. Hiding in me.

And now, I have no desire to know what other darkness my world hides.

"I'm sorry Ezlo," I murmur. He was right. If I could, I would immediately remove this knowledge without a second thought. I have no idea how to handle the fact that I am born of the most evil race in existence. It's almost more degrading than becoming a child.

Almost.

"I'm sorry too Link," Ezlo says gently. Slowly, I wipe away my tears, and try to compose myself. I'll have many long days and nights of traveling ahead of me in which I can cry my eyes dry as often as I want.

"So, am I 'allowed' to travel with you again?" Ezlo asks, trying to tone back his sarcasm.

I nod. "I shouldn't have threatened you. This whole quest wouldn't even exist if I didn't have your help. I'm sorry. I guess I really have been turned into a child," I whisper.

"We all act childish now and then. Especially when we're frustrated, or scared. It's all part of being human. Or, well, humanoid," He says, laughing. I smile hesitantly. It's very rare for Ezlo to actually comfort me. He must know how devestating this knowledge is to me.

"Thank you," I say sincerely.

Ezlo nods. In an uncharactaristically serious voice, he says, "Link, you were never meant to be pulled into this mess. These are my issues, I should have dealt with them long ago. There are things that you don't understand, and if I have my way, you never will. I promise, I will do my utmost to protect you from this darkness."

"Thank you," My mother says, smiling. I nod in agreement.

"We really should be going. We still need to speak with the king before continuing our journey. I'm sorry for all that I've put you through mother," I say hesitantly.

"I'm just so happy that you're alive. No mother should ever have to hear that her son has died. I know that you have a busy life, but don't forget to visit every now and again. I know it's silly, but sundays were always the hardest, because I kept expecting you to be there with your family…"

"I know," I reply, giving her a gentle hug. She grabs hold of me, and picks me up in the air once more. I can't help but laugh.

"Sorry, sorry," She says quickly. "I just haven't been able to actually lift you up for a long, long time."

"Well, I guess you'll soon get used to the feeling. Goodbye mother," I say, smiling.

"Goodbye Link. Goodbye Ezlo," She says, opening the door.

"Farewell Ellie," Ezlo replies politely.

"Link wait!" She calls, as I'm walking out the door. Frowning I turn back towards her.

"Ezlo will disagree with me on this, but… don't learn magic Link. Please," She begs.

"Why?" I ask, confused. Magic fills me with warmth, and happiness. It's the only thing that's made this journey bearable for me.

"I'm sorry, but that's something he made me swear to keep quiet. He doesn't want me to waste your… potential. Just… don't learn magic. You won't like what it will do to you," She replies. I nod, and walk away.

"Don't worry Link," Ezlo says comfortingly. "It's perfectly safe for you to keep learning. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."

I nod, and continue walking down the streets of the castle town. I can't help but wonder why everything must be kept in the dark. And I can't help but wonder if Ezlo is capable of keeping either one of his promises.

I guess it doesn't really matter. My life is hopeless either way.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Before visiting the castle, I decide to replenish my supplies, considering that I broke my jars, and my water skins now make the water taste vaguely of rotten leather. I quickly find everything that I need, though I move through the other shops as well, just for the sense of familiarity that they bring.

At the last store, a strange sort of market which sells random items, the owner immediately approaches me.

"Hello there!" He shouts happily. Vaguely, I realize that there's absolutely no one else here. He must really be desperate for customers.

"Hello," I reply. He looks at me curiously for a few moments, then shrugs. Instead of giving me a chance to browse his store, he instead runs into the back and pulls out a large, red boomerang. It's inlaid with strange runes, and it seems to blur the air aorund it. Hesitantantly, I touch it, and I can feel it bristling with raw, magical power.

"This is a priceless, Piccouri weapon, said to wield great power. It's priced at five gold coins. However, I'm running a special deal on it, for a very limited time. See those jars?" He asks, pointing to a table that's set up with eight different glass bottles, spaced evenly throughout it. "If you can knock all of them over in a single throw, I'll give you this boomerang, free of charge."

"_Link, that is a genuine Minish artifact," _Ezlo says in my head, sounding shocked.

"And if I can't knock them all over?" I ask, ignoring him.

"For every failed attempt, it costs fifty silver pieces," The man replies. Normally, I wouldn't even attempt something so costly. But I have two gold pieces and sixty silver pieces, and no necessities whatsoever. So I find myself saying, "Sure, I'll try it."

Grinning, the man hands me the boomerang. It feels warm in my hand, and I can tell that it actually does carry power. I don't think the store owner has any idea what this boomerang is. If he did, he would sell it to the king for far more gold than five pieces.

The magic within the wooden toy seems to resonate with my own magic. I can sort of… _feel _the boomerang. Hesitantly, I throw it, and it moves towards the jars. As it hits the first one, it veers off course. But I quickly find that I can actually direct the boomerang, using my inner light. So I move it towards the jar on the other side, then back again. I bounce it between all of the jars, finding that most are glued down to the table. I can't really make the boomerang look _natural _as I crush the jars, though I don't think it really matters.

The man's expression turns from one of confidence to one of shock, and finally one of horror.

"That's impossible," he whispers.

"Lucky throw, I guess," I reply, trying not to laugh.

"I… but… it…."

"A deal is a deal. Thank you for the boomerang. In the future, you shouldn't cheat by gluing the jars down."

I turn to leave, but at the last moment, I stop. "Here," I mumble, placing my two remaining gold coins on the table. "You deserve some form of payment for this weapon."

"Thank you," The store owner says meekly. I smile, and walk out of his store, running my hand over the odd runes on the boomerang.

I quickly make it to the castle. Seeing it fills me with a strong sense of familiarity. I worked here for the last twelve years of my life. But at the same time, the castle seems too large to me, and it feels wrong to be approaching it without my armor and my sword.

I confidently approach the main doorway, but the two front guards quickly block my path. I wait for them to let me pass, and abruptly remember that they have no idea who I am.

"Hello. I carry a message for the king, from… Celius," I say, citing the first important name who comes to mind.

"What?" The guard asks, confused.

"I carry a message for the king from Celius, the noble leader of the house of Juar," I repeat.

"_Link, you're speaking Piccouri," _I hear Ezlo's voice say. WIth a jolt, I realize that he's right. I've been speaking Piccouri ever since I ate that jabber nut. It just seems like my native language now. It didn't cause any issues with my mom, because she _is _minish, and the shopkeeper… well, he must know piccouri too, somehow.

"Sorry, I've been learning an ancient language, and I find myself slipping into it, on occaison," I explain, in english this time. "I carry a message for King Javian, from Celius, the noble head of the house of Juar."

"Very well, we will deliver it for you," The guard replies, holding out his hand. I feel a grudging sense of admiration of this guard; he's doing exactly what he should by not letting me in.

"I was told to deliver the message in person. It contains sensitive information that must not be written down," I reply.

"Then show us the seal of Celius as proof, and we'll escort you to him," He replies.

"I shall return with it," I say, sighing. I move away from the guards and, when I'm out of their range of vision, I slowly make my way back to the gate, hiding behind trees and bushes. It's demeaning, to have to sneak past my comrades and into the place that was like a second home to me. I assumed King Javian would have informed the guards to let me pass. But, in all likelihood, I've already been forgotten.

I wait for a while, knowing that there is a guard watching the gate, who will sound the alarm bell should anything go wrong. But I also know that he brews himself tea right before they trade shifts, giving me a few seconds to act. As a small plume of steam leaves the window of the guard tower, I know that his head will be turned. Praying that no one else is watching, I quickly throw my new boomerang at the two guards.

It bounces between them before either of them even see it. As it makes contact with their armor, the guards become unnaturally still, frozen in place by the magic of the weapon. I have no idea how long it lasts, but I pray that it will be enough for me to reach the king.

I calmly walk up to the guards, and mouth a few random words, so that it appears as though we're talking. I hold up my hand and move my arm up and down, so that from the perspective of the guard who watches the gate, it looks like I'm shaking his hand. I then move around him and walk into the castle.

I know that the second those guards unfreeze, they will sound every alarm and send people after me. It makes it hard not to run straight to the king's chambers. But running will only cause them to grow suspicious and detain me. So instead, I walk at a fast, purposeful pace, praying that the king is in his chambers and that I will have time to reach him.

I make my way there quickly. No one stops me. No alarm bells sound. I smile at the bit of fortune I had in obtaining this weapon and in how effective it is. It's nice, to have a _little bit _of good luck.

Rather than knocking, I simply walk into the king's chambers. Inside, I see the king reading a long scroll, occasionally signing his name. Seviller stands by him, dressed in the armor that I wore when I was head guard.

"Halt!" Seviller shouts as I enter, pulling out his sword.

The king turns to the door and, at seeing me, he gasps. Immediately, he looks to Seviller and says, "You are dismissed."

"Sire?" Seviller asks, confused.

"I am in no danger. Leave. That is an order," He says firmly. Seviller bows, and walks out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

King Javian abruptly smiles, and places his hands on my shoulders. "Thank heavens you're alive," He says warmly. "I thought you'd surely have perished by now. I was terrified that I had sent you to your death. Why didn't you return sooner?"

"Many things have happened," I reply.

"Sit, and tell me what has transpired." The king practically pushes me into one of his soft, plush chairs. I feel out of place in this lavish chamber.

"As I entered the Minish woods, I encountered this strange… being. It was a person who was cursed into being a hat. The one I'm wearing on my head. His name is Ezlo," I explain, feeling a bit foolish. I wait for Ezlo to poke his eyes and beak out, but he doesn't.

"Can it… talk?" Javian asks hesitantly.

"Yes, but I'm guessing that he's not going to, because he wants to make me look insane. He likes to do things like that."

The king nods, looking incredulous, and a bit worried. I resume my story, trying to make it sound even remotely plausible. But I can tell that he doesn't believe it, or at least, he's extremely sceptical. I don't blame him. If, a month ago, someone told me that a talking hat had used a stump to shrink them until they were the size of a bug, and then they met with the other bug people to create a plan to kill an evil sorcerer, I would've thought them insane too.

"I know this sounds… ridiculous. But I can prove to you that I'm not making this up," I say, flustered. Focusing, I access my inner light, and I use it to create another one of the glowing orbs. The king looks at the lines of light with amazement. As they draw in to form the ball, he takes a step back, looking almost… afraid.

"What… what is that?" He whispers, staring at it.

"Magic. Ezlo has taught me to use magic," I explain. "You can touch the light. It wont hurt you."

Hesitantly, he reaches his hand out towards the orb, and smiles gently as he feels the light it brings. Laughing, he says, "I believe you Link. Forgive my incredulity. I cannot even imagine how you must have suffered."

"The journey was not entirely unpleasant. Strange as it sounds, I actually enjoy the minish world. I wish I could show you. It's incredible," I say wistfully.

The king nods. Hesitantly, he asks, "Would it be possible for you to teach some of my guards how to use magic? It would bring great security if they could exercise this power to combat those who seek to harm the kingdom."

"I'm sorry, but humans cannot learn magic."

"Then how-"

"I'm not human," I reply, cutting him off. "Humans don't have green eyes, or pointed ears."

"Then what are you?" He asks tentatively.

"My mother was minish. And my father… was also not human."

The king nods, and gratefully, doesn't pry. After an awkward silence, I hear my hat sigh.

Ezlo draws his beak and eyes out. The king gasps at the odd sight, but doesn't comment. Ezlo looks down at me, and grumbles, "You're no fun."

Sighing, he turns to the king, and says, "What Link failed to mention was that we were hoping you'd have your warriors continue our quest, should he die. He has a map of the rest of the Essences. Link and I have a far greater chance of success if we set off alone. But we wanted you to be prepared, should Link perish."

"But how will I know whether he is alive?" The king asks.

Ezlo thinks for a second, then turns to me once more. "Link, draw the symbol for life." He instructs. I nod, and quickly sketch out the rune using my light. "Good. Now draw a drop of your blood."

Shrugging, I scratch my skin with my fingernail, and draw forth a tiny drop of red blood. I gently place it on the symbol. It glows brightly, and changes from white to green. After a few moments, the glow is reduced, until it would only be noticed in a dark room.

"There. If this symbol turns red, that means Link is dead. If not, he's alive. You can move the symbol, and put it on or in things, if you'd like. You won't be able to get rid of it without magic," Ezlo explains, sounding bored.

"Link…" Javian begins

"Don't tell me to stay here. You know that I cannot," I cut him off once more.

"It's not that. I wish to speak with you about… your family. I have been visiting them, to be sure that they are cared for. And I never realized how… how wonderful they were. But they are hurting. They need a father. Are you sure you cannot return to them?" He asks softly.

"My curse has been made permanent. I will never grow. So all of the problems that this curse brings will get worse as time goes on. They may experience joy in the present, but my presence will bring them nothing but sorrow in the future."

The king nods. I look at him for a moment, and I can see an expression that is very familiar to me. It's an expression of joy, mixed with longing and impatientness. I wore it often, as I was waiting to return home to my family. It occurs to me that the king may be wearing it for the same reason.

At first, the thought fills me with anger. But then I realize that I have no real claim to my family any more. I can never see any of them again. And… they should be happy, and cared for. Perhaps the king can care for them, and make them happy.

"King Javian… If you desire to… to be like a father to my children, or a husband to my wife… you have my blessing. Do not feel any guilt in taking care of them. I will never be able to do so. And… it would comfort me to know that I would be replaced by one as noble as you," I say gently. The words hurt. They hurt a lot. But the likelihood of me surviving this journey is incredibly low. And even if I do, I'll always be like _this. _I think it would eventually help me, to know that my family will be taken care of. That they will have a father.

"I could never replace you," He replies. "But… I do care for them. And, if you would allow it, your son would make a fine heir to the throne."

I can't help but smile at the thought. My son, a prince.

The doors of the king's chambers burst open, and guards pour into the room quickly. Ezlo immediately shoves his beak and eyes back into the hat, and the king backs away. They converge on me, and hold swords and spears against my neck. I try to struggle, but I'm so very weak in this body. It's humiliating, to see them tower above me, to have them render me helpless so easily.

"Stop!" The king shouts. Immediately, the guards freeze, becoming still.

"Release him," He orders.

"But sire, he disabled the guards and snuck in. You are in grave danger," One of the guards says.

"I said release him!" Javian shouts. Reluctantly, they let go of me, and lower their swords and spears. My arms and neck are already bruising from their tight grip.

"From now on, he is to be granted complete, unrestricted access to anywhere in the castle, and you will not lay a finger on him no matter what he does. He is a dear friend of mine, and is to be treated with respect and dignity. Understood?" The raw authority in Javian's voice makes me shudder.

"But.. he's just a child," A guard mumbles. King Javian walks towards him, opens his helmet, and slaps him across the face. Hard.

"Understood?" He asks again. This time, the guards nod, and bow to him.

"You are dismissed," The king says, sighing. They nod, and leave the room.

"I am so sorry, Link. I didn't realize that they wouldn't grant you entrance. I forget that none of them know who you are," The king says repentantly. "How did you manage to get past them so easily?"

"Magic," I reply simply.

The king nods. After a few moments, he says, "I know that you must resume your journey. But it is getting late. It would warm my heart if you would remain here for one night."

I'm about to reject his offer, but Ezlo speaks before I can. "We would love to stay. Thank you, King Javian."

He smiles, and nods. "You are welcome to my guest chambers. Do you still remember where they are?"

"Of course," I reply. I worked here for twelve years. I know this castle like the back of my hand.

"Link, please know how much you are appreciated. You have sacrificed everything for this kingdom, and you alone have kept it safe. You've been a true friend to me, and the castle has not been the same without your constant presence. No matter what happens, you will always have a home here," He says softly.

"Thank you, King Javian," I reply, smiling. I bow gently, and walk out of the room.

"So why did you want us to stay the night here?" I ask Ezlo, as soon as we're out of earshot. The hallway guards shoot me strange looks, but they remain silent.

"_According to legend, the minish created a sanctuary for the sword of salvation, where it could be infused with power. If such a place exists, it is surely in Hyrule castle. I thought that now would be an excellent time for you to search for it," _Ezlo replies in my head.

"Okay. But how will I find it?"

"_I'm assuming that if the minish built it, the sanctuary itself is minish-sized. So there would have to be a portal nearby. Do you know where there would be a portal within the castle?" _He asks.

"Uhm, there is a tree stump in the castle gardens. But it's in the middle of the garden, and there's nothing that even resembles a sanctuary anywhere near it," I reply. I feel very self-concious, speaking aloud to nobody in particular. All of the people I walk past look at me like I'm insane.

"Is there any way that I could talk to you the same way you're talking to me?" I whisper.

"_Yes. It's not terribly difficult. Remember when you shared your energy with me? Do the same thing, except rather than sending power at me, send words at me._"

I nod, and hesitantly, try to follow his instructions. The first few attempts fail, because I just keep sending energy at him. But eventually, I figure out how to transfer thoughts. It's like I have to attach them to a very small amount of my magic, then send the magic up towards Ezlo.

"_Is this right?_" I ask mentally.

"_Yes. Though you _could_ speak a tad louder. No one but me can hear us talking this way_," Ezlo says, laughing.

"_So… do you want me to check out the stump in the garden?" _I ask hesitantly.

"_No. While that probably is a portal, it doesn't sound like it's the right one. Link, portals don't _have _to be tree stumps. The only reason the ones in the forest were is because tree stumps looked natural and were about the right shape and size. The portals can literally be anything."_

"_Then how will I be able to pick them out?_" I ask.

"_You'll know that something is a portal if it has a spiral pattern that leads to a small hole in the middle. Remember the top of the stump that had lines spiraling towards the hole? It'll be like that, but with other things. Can you think of any other objects like that?"_

I think for a few moments, mentally searching everything that I have seen in the castle. I can actually think of a few things that match that description. There's a chest in the king's chambers with a strange, swirling pattern on top that leads to a small hole. There's a bedside table in the guest chambers that won't open, for some reason, and that has a little hole in the top, surrounded by a blue spiral. There's even a bench in the arena with a spiral pattern and a hole in the top. And…

"_I think I know where it is," _I say excitedly.

"_Well there's no need to shout, boy. Just tell me." _

"_Sorry, sorry,_" I think, laughing. It's a lot harder to control the volume of mental communications._ "The sword of salvation was stabbed through a chest. But there was a spiral pattern around it, and I'll bet that there's a little hole at the center. Which means that the sanctuary, if it even exists, is in the vault."_

"_So… what are you waiting for?"_ Ezlo asks.

Smiling, I make my way towards the vault. As usual, it's guarded by two guards, each of whom carry a half of the key to the vault.

"I need to enter the vault," I say confidently.

"We don't have authorization to let you in," One of the guards says uncomfortably.

"The king said that I was to be given unrestricted access to anywhere within the castle. The vault is within the castle. So, unless you want to disobey the orders of the king, I'm to be given unrestricted access to it," I say, a bit of steel creeping into my voice.

The guards look at eachother, and then, slowly, each pulls out their half of the key.I grab both halves, hold them together, and open the vault.

"Thank you. It may be a few hours before I return," I say idly. Without another word, I walk into the pitch-black vault and close the door behind me. Quickly, I fill the room with light by making an orb.

This time, as I travel through the vault, I take a few moments to admire the contents. There's a lot of beauty here, in paintings and in gems. And as I'm moving along, I notice that there's a set of clothes almost identical to mine, hanging off the wall. They're even the same size. Curious, I lean down, and read the plaque below them.

"This is the tunic worn by the great hero, who defeated the master of all oppressors and led his people back into the light. It is said to grant light to those who battle the darkness," It reads.

"Fancy a change of clothes, Link?" Ezlo says sarcastically, popping his eyes and beak out.

"It's weird, that they are so much like mine. Uncanny even," I mumble.

"Just a coincidence. Keep moving," Ezlo instructs.

Shrugging, I continue onwards. It only takes a few minutes for me to reach the chest at the very end. I push my light close to it, and examine the top. As I predicted, there is a spiral pattern, leading to a small hole in the center. Weirdly enough, the hole is actually smaller than the incision the sword would've made.

"Grab the sword from inside the chest, before you shrink yourself," Ezlo instructs. I nod, and do as he says. I notice that within the chest, there are a few soft pillows directly below the hole, each about as big as my hand. It's weird, to think that in a few moments, I'll be landing on top of them.

Still holding the sword, I climb atop the chest and fill myself with the desire to become minish once more, to feel the world grow and to enter the sanctuary. It's easy, so easy, to create the symbols and shrink myself, Ezlo and the sword down. Unlike last time, I leave my eyes wide open as I transform. In an instant, the world grows massive, and I find myself falling through the air, dropping through the hole and onto the soft cushions below.

I sigh in relief. It almost feels like being human is a burden. Like I'm stuck in the wrong world. I know that it's probably because my mom is minish, but it's hard for me to leave this world and return to the world of the humans.

I hop down to the ground level of the chest, noting the strange, bumpy texture of the wood. At the far end, I see a bit of white light shining through a small hole in the wall. It takes me a few minutes to get there, burdened by the heavy sword of salvation. I try to walk through the hole, but I slam into the empty air, as though there's a solid wall in my way. Confused, I press my hand against the empty air, and feel a hard, impassable surface.

"This is definitely the sanctuary," Ezlo says excitedly. "Just break down the barrier and we can begin infusing the sword."

"Uhm, break it down?" I ask hesitantly.

"Yes Link. Break it down," He repeats.

Shrugging, I slam my fist against the barrier. It feels like solid stone against my fist, and sends sharp stabs of pain throughout my knuckles. Grunting, I shake out my fist and try again. My only result is a bit of redness and swelling.

"Link, you can't punch magic away," Ezlo says, laughing. "You've got to use your magic. Just push your power against the doorway. It should open up."

I shoot him an annoyed look, and focus on my inner light. It takes a bit of concentration, but I manage to extend it past myself once more. As I push it against the doorway, the invisible barrier seems to suck up my magic, absorbing it. It leaves me feeling very, very drained, but the barrier itself seems to fade away. Hesitantly, I push my arm out through the doorway. This time, it meets no resistance.

Smiling, I walk out of the dark chest and into the warm, bright sanctuary.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

I can't help but gape at the beauty of the sanctuary. Hundreds of large, clear gemstones line the massive, domed exterior, each giving off a small bit of light. The floor is made of a strange, soft material, like animal fur, but thicker, and there are swirling, colorful patterns that lead into the center of the room, where a large, ornate pedestal sits. It's big enough that it needs stairs to lead to the top, and on the four corners rest four empty sockets. On the top, I see a simple, flat surface.

"The sword goes in the middle, Link," Ezlo says condescendingly, after a few moments.

"Look at this place Ezlo! Aren't you a little bit… impressed?" I ask. We've seen such marvelous things, and he seems to brush them all off.

"Yeah yeah, there are sparkly gems, and such. But we have a mission that we need to complete, and the longer it takes us, the more likely it is to fail."

"I don't think it'll hurt the mission if you take a few moments to look around," I mumble. Ezlo simply remains silent.

Sighing, I do as he says, and climb to the top of the pedestool, and place the Sword of Salvation at the center. As I pull my hand away, a large, curved sheet of gold shoots up from the table and surrounds the sword. It glows brightly for a few moments, and abruptly removes itself, leaving the sword exposed once more. Except now, the hilt and the blade are connected once more. I can't even see a crease where it was ripped apart.

"Incredible," I whisper.

"_That _impresses you? After you've been turned into a child and shrunken down until you're the size of a bug, you call _that _incredible?" Ezlo asks, laughing.

"I guess all magic is just incredible to me," I reply.

"Well, now you need to put the essence into one of the four slots. Try not to get too worked up if it _glows _in the process."

I shoot him an annoyed glance, but do as he says, placing the green element into the closest socket. Despite Ezlo's teasing, the essence doesn't glow. It doesn't really do anything. It just sits there.

"Shouldn't it, uhm, do something?" I ask hesitantly.

"You probably just need all four essences for it to do anything," Ezlo replies uncertainly.

I nod, and, taking one last look around the warm, bright room, I walk back out. Easily, I use the portal to grow myself back to human proportions, and I walk out of vault. The guards look at me with curiosity as I leave, but they don't comment.

"_That didn't take very long. Should we still stay the night?" _I ask mentally.

"_Yes. It would be rude to leave after we said we'd stay_," Ezlo replies. Shrugging, I make my way to the guest quarters. It's still early on in the day, but I have nothing to do, so I simply sit on the bed, and occasionally the female servant from before brings me food and drink. After a few hours of stillness, I undress and climb into bed. Even though it's still light out, my body is tired, and I fall asleep quickly.

At dawn, I awaken refreshed, ready to continue. The next essence we're to find is the essence of fire, found within the mountains to the far east. After saying a quick farewell to the king, I make my way out of town and head towards the mountains.

Unlike traveling through the minish woods, traveling across the vast plains of the east provides many difficulties. There aren't any consistent food sources, and so I simply go hungry, eating what few berries I can find. There aren't lakes, rivers or even puddles anywhere. So I simply ration what little water I carried with me in my waterskins and bottles. I feel constantly hungry and thirsty, but there are no other ill effects.

After all, I am Dharkin, and Dharkin can survive on almost nothing.

After about a week of travel, the utter monotony of the same, flat plains gets to me. As I lie down to sleep, I hesitantly ask Ezlo, "Is there any kind of magic I can be learning, to distract myself?" I've been practicing symbols, and can manage about ten of them at once, but that too has grown routine, and unexciting.

"Yes. I think it's time I started teaching you how to use magic offensively," Ezlo says, smiling.

"Really?" I ask hopefully. The prospect of being able to defend myself with magic is incredibly enticing to me. I've worked my whole life to be strong, and now that's been taken away by Vaati's curse. I would love to have a little bit of strength again.

"Yes. I'm afraid that you might need it, as our journey continues," Ezlo says soberly. "Not that you'll ever be able to beat the likes of Vaati, but there are other… things that you may need magic to defend yourself from."  
I nod, a bit subdued.

"You've been very patient in learning and practicing symbols. And, impressively, you've never asked _why _I taught you the runic alphabet. Considering your heavy sense of self-destructive curiosity, that's a pretty impressive feat. Congratulations, Link," He says sarcastically.

"So are you going to teach me offensive magic, or are you just going to insult me?" I ask, sighing.

"And there goes your patience," Ezlo replies jovially. "Anyway, yes, I was getting to that. See, the runic alphabet is basically just a system of representing ideas in magical form. The same way that words are written in letters, spells are written in the runic alphabet. The person who discovered magic spent years and years figuring out how to create each different effects, and then he catalogued each one with a different rune. The theory behind those runes is that, rather than having to mentally control your power, you could simply create one and pour power into it, and it will create the desired effect."

"Wait, so it is possible to simply make magic do whatever you want it to with nothing more than mental effort?" I ask hesitantly.

"Yes. You can basically create sparks at will, correct?"

I nod. "I can make sparks appear easily."

"But how long did it take you to figure out how to make sparks using magic?" Ezlo asks.

"Well, at the time, I didn't realize it was magic. I was a student, and we were taking a wilderness survival course at the academy. My instructor clashed two stones together, and made fire from it. No one else could light a fire like that, and the other kids gave up, because no one cared if we could light fires or not. But I was determined to get it down. So I spent months and months, clashing different things together. Until eventually, sparks started coming out of them."

"It works the same for other types of magic. Learning how to do something without any guidance is difficult, and takes months, if not years, of mental effort. That's why the runic alphabet exists. To provide you with a simple way to use magic," He explains. "Now, why don't you try it out? Simply draw the rune for fire, and pour as much energy into it as you can."

I nod, and do as he says. The symbol for fire is complex, but strangely beautiful, with harsh lines that cross over and over again. After I complete it, I begin concentrating on pouring energy into the little thing. At first, it simply glows. But as I pour more and more energy into it, it soon grows warm, and then hot, so much so that the air around it shimmers.

"Good, good. Now tell the symbol what to do," Ezlo says.

Concentrating, I try to connect myself with the lines of magic. I pour my magic into them, and give them my instruction as well. For a while, the symbol simply grows hotter and hotter, forcing me to move away from it. But I can't seem to move beyond that. I want fire, but the instruction "make fire" doesn't seem to work.

"Focus harder Link," Ezlo instructs. I close my eyes, and focus on nothing but that annoying little symbol. Still, no fire appears.

"Magic isn't child's play. You'll have to try harder," Ezlo says firmly.

"I am trying!" I shout.

"Obviously," Ezlo snorts, laughing. "Like you 'tried' not to cry when we first met."

"Just… just stop. Please," I whisper. That insult hurt me in a way that Ezlo usually isn't capable of.

"Right. Because the big, bad world will always stop when you tell it to. It'll always heed the word of useless, weak, pathetic children."

Frustration and anger fill me at his cruel remarks. I've been working as hard as I possibly can on becoming a strong magician. I've spent months on this quest, risking my life for the good of the kingdom. And throughout this whole process, he's done nothing but criticize and berate me. At least before, he always knew when to stop.

But now, he's crossed the line.

As the dark, heavy anger fills me, my symbol abruptly ignites. It's fortunate, really, that I moved backwards earlier. Because had I stayed within a few feet of the symbol, I would've been scorched by the massive release of flames. A pillar of pure, red-hot fire is created from my drawing, rising higher and higher into the sky yet somehow maintaining itself. It's strangely uniform, and even. Weirder, I can… _feel _the fire. It was created out of my magic, my mind. And now, my mind controls it.

"Stop!" Ezlo shouts, sounding afraid. Still plunged in my anger, I growl at him, and poignantly make my flames even larger, extending them out another foot.

"Link…" Ezlo says, gently this time. "You need to calm down. Please." For some reason, his soft tone makes me even more angry. Just seconds ago he was ruthlessly insulting me, calling me a child. And now that I have this fire, he wants me to "calm down". He doesn't have the right to tell me to call down.

"Shut up!" I roar. Unable to stand the thought of the accursed hat sitting on my head, I throw him off onto the ground, and, for good measure, I give him a good kick.

He winces, ever so slightly, and I can see pain in his eyes. Abruptly, I am struck with the fact that Ezlo was human, or minish, or some race of being with emotions and intelligence. I have so much anger at him for treating me like a child. And here I am, treating him like a stupid, useless hat.

It's hard, so very hard, to push through the anger. The emotion is like fire within me, and putting it out seems impossible. But slowly, I allow my other emotions to remove the burning rage. The black tint on my vision fades, as does the fire, and slowly, I can feel myself become somewhat sane again. As I do, I feel like slapping myself in the face. I let my anger get the better of me. For a few seconds, I acted exactly like Ezlo no doubt expects me to.

Like a Dharkin.

And, despite his teasing, I feel my eyes grow watery once more, at the raw sadness my rage covered up, and at the shame I feel for being… me.

"I'm so sorry Link," Ezlo says quietly, standing upright once more.

I let out a small, hysterical laugh. "_You're _sorry?"

"Link, fire is… challenging. It's hard, if not impossible, for most magicians to make it. So I thought, maybe with your anger…" Ezlo shudders, and continues, "I knew exactly what to say, to enrage you. I knew exactly where the pain in your soul was. It was like a set of levers that I could pull. So… I pulled them."

"Congratulations, your experiment was a success. You've proven to the world that I'm just a stupid, mindless beast who can't control himself," I whisper.

"I'm so sorry Link. I'll… I'll try to explain it once you wake up," He says gently.

"What do you mean, 'wake up'?"

"You just expended an incredible amount of energy. You're barely keeping conscious on the echoes of the power you just released. I give it about ten seconds until you're out cold for a few days. I'm sorry Link. I'll take care of you," He says quietly.

"I'm fi-" my voice abruptly fades during the middle of the word. I look at Ezlo for a few moments, trying to remember how to talk. And then my body goes limp and I fade into unconsciousness.

I float in the darkness for a long, long time. Vaguely, I wish I could just stay there forever. In sleep, I have no responsibilities, no emotions, no body. In dreams, I don't have pain.

I awaken slowly. The first thing I see is Ezlo's odd face looking down on me. Like last time, I try to sit up, but my head spins at the little movement, so I simply lie back down.

Despite myself, I groan gently. My body is incredibly sore, I feel _very _hungry and thirsty, I have a nasty headache and I'm more exhausted than I can ever remember being.

"Hey," Ezlo says gently.

"How long was it this time?" I croak.

"A week," Ezlo replies, sounding worried. "You came very close to expending too much energy."

"I guess you can just add that to the list of my failures," I croak.

"Link, this isn't your fault. I intentionally tried to make you as angry as I could. And even under the circumstances, you got rid of the anger quickly. I'm so sorry for doing that. I didn't realize-"

"That I'd throw you to the ground and kick you? That I can't control myself?" I ask, cutting him off.

"I didn't realize just how much pain you have," Ezlo says softly. "And I didn't realize how much you believe in all of the degradation. I guess, at some level, I thought that you still had confidence in yourself. I've been pushing you too hard, expecting too much out of you."

"Yeah. It was a mistake to expect anything out of me," I whisper.

"Relax Link," Ezlo says gently. With his head, he pushes some berries he has piled on the ground at me. They do a little bit to tame my hunger, but not much.

"You've got to give yourself some credit. You took a curse that was meant for someone else, and even after that, you've spent every waking moment trying to protect others. People have been searching for the minish for hundreds of years, but you managed to find them in a few short weeks. You slew the great spider Ghoma, and you reforged the Sword of Salvation, and if you keep up this pace, you'll bring it back to it's former power in no time. And… you've grown more powerful at magic in a few months than most minish ever become."

"Right," I snort.

"I'm serious. I would know. I… I was once a very prominent magician. I had apprentices, like your mother. In all my life, I've never seen a talent like yours. I got… excited. And I forgot that you're…"

"That I'm what? Obviously I'm not human, or minish, and I'm a child now as well, so I'm not really a father or a husband anymore either. There's no classification that can make me any better, because I don't belong to any of them now."

Ezlo looks at me with pity. Finally, he says, "I should never have told you who your father was. But don't you see? It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter who you come from, or what you are. My father lived like a leech in the castle, feeding our family by picking through garbage. And I became the man who…" He trails off uncomfortably. Clearing his throat, he continues, "Regardless, it doesn't matter."

I look at him for a few moments, studying his expression. Finally, I ask, "How am I supposed to feel about myself? I've been turned into a child and ripped away from everything that made me great. I've been told that my noble heritage is a complete lie and that I don't even belong in my own life. You can't imagine what that's like. And… from the moment I first encountered you, you've been treating me like I'm incompetent."

"I've been trying to treat you like an apprentice. Trying to motivate you to work harder," Ezlo says quietly. "But I'm afraid I've just ended up venting all of my frustration at you. I wanted to seem like I still had some level of confidence in myself. I guess in the process I've just messed with your emotions."

I open my mouth to speak, but he cuts me off. "I can't promise that I'll stop pestering you, or that I'll treat you with any level of respect. But… just know that I admire you. You're a noble soul, and it is my greatest regret that this happened to you. I appreciate all that you've done to accommodate me, and I can't imagine a better companion or a better student. You're a good person, and you have nothing to be ashamed of."

"Ezlo, you don't have to throw empty compliments at me…" I mumble. The fact that he feels like he has to shelter me only makes me feel worse.

"It's not empty Link. Do you really think I'm the kind of person to compliment someone who doesn't deserve it?" He asks, smiling.

Strangely, that actually convinces me. I know Ezlo pretty well, and he's not one to fake positive statements. I think on his kind words, and allow them to warm me, just a little bit. I've let everything that happened degrade me. I guess it only makes sense to let his compliments do the opposite.

"Thanks Ezlo," I say gently. I try to rise to my feet, but I just fall back again. The ground has frozen while I slept, and it was more slippery than I expected. Involuntarily, I shiver. The air has gotten colder, and even now, tiny flakes of snow fall across the plains.

I rise to my feet, carefully this time, and shiver once more.

"You okay?" Ezlo asks uncertainly.

"Yeah. I'm… better, I think. Just a little cold," I reply.

"I've heard it gets pretty cold up on the mountain, even though it's a volcano."

"A what?"

"Volcano," Ezlo says, laughing. "It basically means 'a mountain that has melted rock in it, and sometimes decides to spew it out'."

"Oh," I mumble, a bit surprised. I've never even heard of such a thing. But my recent experiences have taught me to keep an open mind.

"We'd better hurry, before the cold sets in," Ezlo instructs.

I nod, and I try to press forwards as fast as I can. But I'm very weak, from my magic and from the extreme malnourishment that came from my second week in a row without food.

I travel for a few days, wasting away for lack of any sort of food or drink. It grows colder and colder, and the gentle snow is soon replaced by roaring blizzards. Worse, I have to start climbing the massive mountain, rather than simply walking across the plains. I almost fall down so many times, because my limbs are always shaking, either from the cold, or from my starvation, or perhaps maybe from both of them combined. I start to lose feeling in the ends of my fingers and toes, too, which means I'm starting to get frostbite. Oh, and sleeping on cold, hard ground with snow biting at me is also impossible, so I suppose I could add "sleep deprivation" to the list.

On my fifth day of this terrible travel, I seriously consider trying to go back to the castle. But the storm is approaching from the west, so I'd be moving straight into its heart. As day turns into night, the storm grows so cold that I feel like my body is literally turning into a giant ice cube. I make a few more fire symbols that I use to produce heat, but it's not nearly enough to keep me warm.

"We need to find shelter!" Ezlo shouts over the raging storm.

"W-w-w-where?" I ask, my teeth chattering violently.

"Over there!" He points to a large lump, covered in snow. Hesitantly, I clear it off, revealing a large boulder with an engraving on the top that looks vaguely like a big spiral, with a small hole at the center.

"Th-th-th-that's a p-p-p-"

"Portal," Ezlo finishes. "I know. But if you become minish, you can stay in there to get out of the snow."

I nod, and try to climb up to it. But I'm shaking so hard that instead, I trip over it and fall face first into the snow. I'm so cold at this point that I just feel numb, and I'm tempted to lie here in the soft snow and let myself freeze. But the knowledge that I'm the only one who can possibly make it through this horrible storm and retrieve the element brings me to my feet. I manage to climb up onto the rock and, in my quickest transformation yet, I turn myself into a minish, and fall below onto a large, soft set of leaves.

It _is _a little warmer inside the rock, but not much. Though Ezlo was right; there's absolutely no snow in the portal. Sighing in relief, I pull out a few blades of grass and light them on fire. It makes the rock feel warmer, but it's still unbearably cold.

"You need to get out of those wet clothes," Ezlo says gently.

"W-w-what will I w-w-wear?" I ask, confused.

"Nothing. Trust me, you'll be a lot warmer without those soggy things hanging off you. They should be dry by the time we leave," He replies. At seeing my uncomfortable expression, he sighs, and says, "If it makes you feel better, you can keep your undershorts on."

I nod, and pull off my tunic, pants, socks and boots. Ezlo was right; it _is _a lot warmer to have bare, exposed skin next to the fire. It's still freezing cold, but it's better.

"What are w-w-we going t-t-to d-d-do?" I ask desperately. I know that if I spend too much more time in this storm, it'll kill me. And I _really_ need something to eat. I'm tough, but I'm not tough enough to go without food for very much longer.

"We'll think of something. It'll be okay Link," Ezlo says gently.

"At l-l-l-least I g-g-gave that symbol t-t-to the k-k-king," I reply, smiling. He'll be able to continue this quest in my absence, and he'll be smart enough to send guards _after_ it warms up.

"Well, actually… that symbol will stay green forever," Ezlo replies guiltily.

"W-w-what?"

"The symbol for life, when mixed with blood, shows what color someone's life force is. Nothing more. If it makes you feel any better, the guards would have no chance of resuming this quest. You need magic to retrieve the symbols, and now, the sword is in a minish-sized chamber that no one knows about. I… I wanted you to feel like you weren't the kingdom's _only_ chance," He sighs.

I shudder, but don't reply. I keep accidentally biting my tongue with my chattering teeth when I talk.

After a few moments, I hear a hesitant knock on the side of the boulder. Confused, I look to Ezlo for an explanation. But he looks as surprised as I am.

"C-c-c-come in," I call, after a few seconds.

The snow in the boulder's entrance is pushed out of the way, revealing what I can only assume is some sort of minish.

He's incredibly tall; almost three times as tall as me. He looks a bit more human than the minish in the forest, but not much. His head is human-shaped, and he doesn't have those odd red dots on his cheeks, and his hair is a very human-looking blond that's spiked up in every direction. And he's proportioned more stocky, with actual muscle. But he's covered from head to foot in thick, tan hair, except on his face, where it's thinner, and looks transparent. Weirder, even in this weather he's wearing a simple pair of pants with overall straps that cross on his chest. And he's not shivering at all.

"H-h-h-hi," I say in piccouri.

"Now what's a little castle minish doing up here in this storm?" He asks, his voice sounding deep and echoey.

"I-I-I-I-"

"Never mind that, we need to get you out of the cold," he says, cutting me off before I can even finish one word. I nod gratefully.

He approaches me, and I swiftly begin pulling my clothes on, embarrassed by my lack of modesty. He shakes his head, and says, "Don't put those on, they'll just make things worse. Sorry, we'll have to leave your clothes here."

I frown, but nod. He clearly knows what he's doing in these mountains, so I really should listen to him. Still, I grab Ezlo and put him on my head. The stranger doesn't seem to care.

"We have a settlement about a mile away. I can keep you warm while we get there, but you'll have to let me carry you," He says apologetically. I sigh, then nod again. It's a bit demeaning to be carried like a child, but it's far better than freezing to death.

He approaches me, and slowly picks me up. He pushes me into the fur on his chest, and wraps his big arms all the way around me. His thick fur is warm, and I let out an involuntary sigh at how wonderful the heat feels.

"You okay there?" He asks gently.

"Yes, thank you," I reply, the fur warming me up quite quickly.

He nods, and sets a brisk pace out into the storm. I can tell that it's freezing out here, but in the warm embrace of his fur, I don't feel it too much, even though I have almost nothing on. The snowflakes that pelt us are more like massive snowballs at this size, but they evaporate the second they hit him, and they really don't seem to bother him. And, even while carrying me, he's light enough that he can make his way across the top of the soft snow easily.

"How did you find me?" I ask hesitantly.

"I saw the steam rising out of that rock. I figured I'd check it out, to see if there's anyone who needed help. Turns out I was right," He replies, smiling.

"Thank you. If you hadn't come along, I would've died."

"Don't mention it. Just, uh, don't venture off into such dangerous storms alone again," He instructs. I nod sheepishly.

It only takes us a few minutes to reach the "village" he spoke of. We enter through a tiny hole in the rock-solid mountain wall. As soon as we cross the threshold, the cold seems to vanish almost magically. The minish's fur immediately becomes uncomfortably hot, and stuffy.

"Oh, here," He says, gently putting me down. Smiling, I rise to my feet, and stretch myself out. This place feels nice and warm, though I can see the snowstorm that's just a few feet away.

The man looks down at me, as though unsure what to do. Hesitantly, I ask, "Do you know where I could get some food to eat?" My stomach makes a loud growling noise, as though it could hear me say the word "food". I feel pathetic in asking this total stranger for food, but, well, I'm _really _hungry.

"Oh, sure, we have plenty of food around here. Man, you really _do _look hungry," he observes, laughing. I nod; I've long since grown thin enough that my ribs are easy to count.

Gently, he leads me down a long tunnel in the stone. "Sorry, I would've noticed that you needed food, but, well, _all _you castle minish look thin to me," he says jovially.

"Uhm, actually, I'm not really a castle minish. Well, I guess I kind of am. It's… complicated," I say disjointedly. "Let me just put it this way. I've lived most of my life in the human world, and up until recently, I thought I was human."

"Woah, you've been a human before?" He asks, clearly impressed. "What's it like being so _huge_?"

"It's… different," I reply, laughing.

"How did you get… this size?" He asks curiously.

"I used that portal to shrink myself down," I answer simply.

"Portal?"

"You know, those objects that can be used to change yourself from human size to minish size?" I ask hesitantly. He looks at me blankly.

"It's… it's a type of magic," I finally say.

"Oh, you can use magic? I thought that was more of a forest minish thing..."

"I really don't know," I answer honestly.

The hallway opens up to a large, bustling chamber. In its own way, the mountain village is just as beautiful as the forest. Two rivers of red hot… stuff roll through the center of the town, and a good distance away, there are other hallways, that lead different places. The ceiling of the place is very high, and it's domed and, like the sanctuary, it's covered with gems. But this one has gems of all different colors that form patterns and shapes up above.

A small group of three minish stand at the entrance. They, like the minish who brought me here, are incredibly tall, and furry, with similar clothing and hair. "Hey, looks like you found someone, Reckly!" One of them calls, laughing.

"Told you there was gonna be someone out there," He replies, laughing. "I'd introduce you, but we need to get some food in him. Maybe you guys could tell the elder about him?"

"Not a problem. Welcome to the mountain village, little guy," The minish in the middle says, patting me on the head. I know the term should bug me, but oddly enough, it doesn't. Because I honestly _feel _little, in comparison with these minish. Without another word, they all wander off in different directions.

"My house is this way," the minish, who I take to be Reckly, says. Smiling, I nod, and follow him down one of the many tunnels. I see a few doors in the sides of the walls, and each of them have a name on the front. Finally, we get to one that says, "Reckly", and he opens the door for me.

Inside, I see three more of these mountain minish; one female, who's still pretty tall and two identical boys, who look about my age. They all look at me quizzically.

"Hey, so I found someone out in the storm, and he's pretty hungry. Would you mind preparing a bit more food, honey?" He asks her gently.

"Not at all," She replies, smiling

"Don't go to any trouble…" I say guiltily.

The woman smiles at me, and says, "It's no trouble whatsoever. Cooking is one of my greatest pleasures. I'd have been mad at him if he _hadn't _brought you here to eat. How hungry are you?"

"Uhm, very. I haven't eaten in… about three weeks," I mumble. All of their eyes widen in shock.

"Has it really been _that _long?" She asks hesitantly.

I nod. "I'm not… entirely minish. I can survive on a lot less food."

She looks at me curiously for a few moments. Then, gently, she squeezes my shoulder and says, "Well, we'll have to make up for that, won't we?"

I smile, and say, "Thank you."

"You're very welcome. What did you say your name was?"

"My name's Link," I say gently.

"Welcome to our home, Link," Reckly says, smiling. "This is my wife, Sylvia, and these are my kids, Kreck and Leck. We have some of their old clothes that should fit you, and we've got an extra bed, if you'd like to stay the night."

"I really wouldn't want to impose…" I mumble.

"Do stay," Sylvia asks gently. "We love having guests in our home." Abruptly, the image of my wife Navinne, saying the exact same thing to so many strangers, fills my head. Looking around this little home, I'm reminded painfully of my own family. The sense of longing the familiarity brings makes it hard for me to keep my expression happy.

"Thank you," I say uncomfortably. "Would you mind if I stepped out for a few moments?"

"Not at all. I'll have dinner ready in about an hour. Feel free to explore anywhere you want to. If you get lost, someone'll lead you back here, if you ask," Sylvia says gently. I nod and, almost running, I leave the room and close the door.

I pull Ezlo off my head, and place him on the floor next to me. And, in a quiet voice, I finally say the words that I've kept quiet thus far, even from myself.

"I really miss my family Ezlo."

He looks at me for a few moments, his eyes filled with pity. Finally, he says, "I know Link. I know."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Were you able to find your way back okay?" Sylvia asks, as I re-enter the room. I simply nod. I actually just sat outside for about an hour, staring at the wall, until the smell of cooking meat pulled me back in.

"Here, we've set a place for you," She says, leading me over to their table. I'm not nearly tall enough to sit there comfortably, but they've put pillows on my chair to prop me up a bit.

"Thank you," I say sincerely. She nods, and begins setting out plates and food. The kids, Kreck and Leck, stop running around and meekly sit down at the table. Finally, after cramming the table so full that there's barely enough room for our plates, Reckly and Silvia sit as well.

Slowly, we begin cycling the dishes around. There's a lot of this soft meat that tastes vaguely like beef, and that's been dried out. She serves it with a warm berry sauce that compliments it nicely. The texture is weird, probably because it's so scaled up, but it tastes so wonderful after having nothing to eat for so long. They serve other things, like berries as big as my hands and individual kernels of corn that are sliced up, and even a strange sort of bread that I have no idea how they could've made. And they constantly fill my glass full of water. The others eat a decent bit, but I keep going long after they've stopped.

There's polite conversation as we eat. They ask me a few questions, but the only thing I say about myself is that I have an important task in the mountains that I need to complete. They quickly realize that I don't want to talk about myself, so Reckly and Sylvia talk to me about their lives instead. He works as a miner, digging out tunnels and finding things that are embedded in the rock. She tends to the house, and occasionally she gathers food for their family.

Their kids remain silent, up until we're nearing the end of dinner. Since they look completely identical to me, I can't really tell which one is which. But one of them abruptly asks, "What happened to your fur? Did you cut it off?"

I can't help but laugh a bit at the question. "Where I'm from, people don't have fur," I reply, smiling.

"Why not?" He asks, confused.

"Because we don't need it. It's not cold there, and it doesn't snow," I explain gently. The kid smiles at me, and continues eating. I find myself smiling as well. When I first entered this home, the familiarity was painful. But now, it's actually kind of nice. I've missed sitting around a table and sharing a bit of conversation while I eat. I've always loved having kids around, too. And these people have done their utmost to make me feel comfortable.

Eventually, after eating a very impressive amount of food, I finally get full. Smiling, I clear my plate, and help them clean up a bit. With a stomach full of food, I suddenly feel very sleepy. I try, unsuccessfully, to stifle my yawns.

"Here, I'll show you where you can sleep," Reckly says gently. I nod gratefully, and follow him through a small hallway, and into another room. It's small, and somewhat cramped, with just a bed and a dresser sitting a few feet away from each other, but it's quiet, and warm. He pulls back the covers for me, and gently tucks me into the bed.

"Sleep well, little guy," He says, patting me on the head.

"Reckly… do you actually have an extra bed?" I ask quietly.

"Of course. Sylvia wants more kids, and so I dug out their rooms and got them stocked ahead of time," Reckly replies happily. "Why?"

"Because my wife often told people we had an extra bed,\ when we didn't, and I'd feel guilty about taking yours," I reply honestly.

"Your… wife?"

Abruptly, I remember that this man has no idea about my curse, and that I wasn't going to talk about it. I guess I kind of have to now. I've never really tried to keep a secret before. It's harder than I would've expected.

"The reason that I started my journey was because a sorcerer named Vaati put a curse on me. I'm thirty-three years old. Well, actually, I'm thirty-four now, I guess, since my birthday was a few weeks back. So... I have a wife and three children," I explain quietly.

He looks at me with pity for a few moments, as if trying to find the right words. Finally, he says, "I hope you find whatever it is you need."

"Thank you. For your hospitality as well. I'll be setting off in the morning,"

"You can't leave yet," Reckly says, frowning. "The storm has just begun. It'll get even worse than what you saw tonight. Only a mountain minish could make it through there alive. If you go outside, you'll freeze. Sorry, but you're stuck here until it gets a bit warmer."

"Oh," I mumble.

He pats me on the shoulder, and says, "Try to get some sleep. You look like you really need it."

I nod; I haven't really slept at all in the past week. I close my eyes, and before he has a chance to walk out of the room, I'm out cold.

I sleep for a long, long time. Maybe even a whole day. When I awaken, I feel a lot better than I have in weeks. Due to the kindness of these strangers, I'm out of the storm, I'm not starving and I spent the night in a warm bed. It's amazing how much difference those things can make.

I turn to leave this room, but I notice that, hanging from the door, there's a pair of pants with large straps on them, like the minish here wear. Shrugging, I put them on, and cross the straps over my chest. They actually fit perfectly, and while they're not too comfortable, they feel tough, like a worker's garment. They also left me some nice, warm socks and a pair of boots. I look kind of ridiculous, with so much of my thin torso exposed and with grey pants and a green hat. But honestly, I've felt ridiculous from the moment I was turned into a child. So a few mismatched clothes don't bother me.

Hesitantly, I open the door and walk back into the living room. "Welcome back to the world of the living," Reckly says, laughing. He's dressed in his usual overalls, but he's also wearing a round, hard helmet, and he has a big pickaxe sitting on the couch next to him.

"How long was I asleep?" I ask.

"About fifteen hours. We would've been worried about you, but you were snoring pretty good the whole time.

"Sorry," I mumble.

"Nah, you're fine. It was quiet when we closed the door. Did you sleep okay?" He asks gently.

"I slept better than I have in a long time," I reply honestly.

"Glad to hear it. Here, have some breakfast. My wife cooked me a whole robin egg, so we've got plenty of leftovers." Before I can say anything, he pulls a plate out of their cupboard and piles on chunks of a massive, scrambled egg from a huge bowl on the cupboard. I feel a bit guilty at eating their food, but my hunger has come back with a vengeance. Like last night, there's not any sort of silverware, so I just pick apart the big egg with my hands. It's still warm, and it tastes wonderful.

"Thank you," I say happily, wiping off my plate and putting it back in the cupboard.

"Don't mention it. On the other side of the village, there are plants and animals and such. It's really not that hard for us to get food," He replies, smiling.

"Is it… freezing on the other side?"

"No, there's a river of hot magma that runs through it. It stays warm."

"Magma?" I ask curiously.

"It's, uh, molten rock. You know, that red stuff that runs through the town?" He explains.

"Oh. So could I continue my journey in that direction?"

"No, it's only warm in a very small area that's in the opposite direction of where you were going."

I sigh. "Allright. Thank you for your hospitality. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all you've done for me. You have a lovely home, and family. I hope you have the happiness you deserve," I say gently.

"Uhm, you're not going to be able to get through that storm alive," Reckly says awkwardly.

"I know."

"Then where are you going?"

"I don't know. I'll see if I can get work of some sort, and if not, I'll take care of myself outside, where it's warm," I reply.

"Do you not like it here?" Reckly asks, frowning.

"No, you have been very accommodating. But I can't impose on you for a few more days…"

"Sorry, but it's going to be a lot longer than a few days. It's usually frigid outside for about three months. And you're not going to find 'work', or whatever. That's not how minish do things. People build their own houses, and when there's someone who needs something, then we all pitch in and take care of them. And I'm not going to let you sleep outside, nor would anyone else here," He says firmly.

"Would you be able to accept the charity of strangers for three months?" I ask quietly.

"Yeah. Because I know I would do the same for them. I'm not sure how humans do things, but that's how it works with minish. We all take care of eachother. So please, just stay with us for a while."

"I just feel guilty…" I mumble.

"Why?" He asks. "We have the extra bedroom, and plenty of food. It's not any sort of inconvenience. And we like having you here. Why would you feel guilty for staying?"

"I don't know," I reply honestly.

He pats me on the shoulder, and says, "You don't have to stay if you don't want to. But we'd be happy to have you here while you wait."

"Thank you," I say, smiling. I really hate the fact that I'm stuck here for so long. But the prospect of staying here, with this kind family makes it a bit more bearable.

"Well, I'm going to go do a bit of mining. I'm hoping to be the one to find us some Piccolyte. We haven't had any for quite some time now," He says jovially.

"Could I come help you? I'd feel better if I was contributing."

"Uhm, I think it'd be better if you just rested today. I'd have to find you a pickaxe, and show you how it's done. And you look like you're absolutely exhausted," he says gently. "My family will be awake soon. If you get hungry, we have food in the cupboards. If I were you, I'd just relax for today. I get the feeling that you've been through a lot. It's really okay for you to rest, and let us take care of you."

I nod. Smiling, he pats me on the head, and says, "See you later, little guy." He grabs the heavy pickaxe off of the floor and heads out.

Shrugging, I lay myself down on their soft, cushy couch and I simply enjoy not having to do anything.

"So why is he allowed to call you 'little guy', but I'm not allowed to call you 'kid'?" Ezlo asks, breaking the silence.

"That phrase doesn't really bug me too much. These minish are all so big, and it makes me feel small. Well, I guess I was almost as tall as them before. I don't know, I guess it should bother me. But it honestly doesn't," I explain disjointedly. Ezlo nods, and doesn't question me further.

For the rest of the day, I simply lay on the couch, occasionally drifting off to sleep. Sylvia wakes up about an hour after Reckly left, and she waves to me happily. We have a bit of light conversation, but I spend most of my time just sitting. She brings me food every so often, and it's all delicious. She also plays with her kids, and teaches them lessons on reading, and writing, and simple arithmetic, as well as a lot of information about mining. I gather that most minish do one of two things here; mining or smithing.

Reckly returns late at night, and while he looks a lot dirtier, he doesn't bring anything new home with him.

"Didn't find any, huh?" Sylvia asks sympathetically.

"No. I found a new patch of rubies that Tucks will have some fun with. But no Piccolyte," He replies. "Still, there's always tomorrow."

"I made your favorite,"

"Turkey and potatoes?" Reckly asks hopefully.

"Mhm," She says, smiling. He smiles too, and kisses her gently on the cheek. After a small silence, I help them set the table and eat dinner with them. The food is delicious; not quite the same as the turkey and potatoes that I'm used to, but it still has an amazing flavor. Sylvia made a lot of food, but I still eat enough that there are no leftovers. I feel a bit guilty for how much I've eaten while I'm here, but it really does seem to please Sylvia that I'm eating so much of her food.

"So, do you still want to help me mine tomorrow?" Reckly asks jovially.

"Sure," I answer. It was nice to rest today, but I know that I'll quickly get bored if I don't do anything.

"Why does _he _get to mine with you?" One of the twins asks, whining a bit.

"When you're as old as him, you can mine with me too," Reckly replies.

"But he's so little," The other twin says, frowning.

"Is that his fault?" Sylvia asks sternly.

"No Mom," he replies.

"Right. Now apologize to Link for being rude," She instructs.

"Sorry Link," The kid says meekly. I nod, trying not to smile. The little scene brings back a lot of pleasant memories I have with my own kids.

"Good. Now off to bed, you two." The twins nod in almost perfect synchronization, and move towards their bedroom.

"I'm going to get some sleep too," I say, yawning.

"That's probably smart. We start pretty early," Reckly agrees, grinning. "Goodnight little guy."

"Goodnight," I reply. Smiling, I go into the cramped, little bedroom, pull off my heavy clothes and climb into the soft, warm bed. As I'm drifting off to sleep, I realize that here, in Reckly's home, I feel happier than I have in a long while.

True to his word, Reckly wakes me up early. He brings me a pickaxe, like his except a lot smaller, and a hardhat that's a bit too large for me.

"Here, you'll need these," He says gently. I nod, and hesitantly, lift the axe. It's heavy, and I have a hard time carrying it, let alone swinging it.

"You sure you want to do this?" He asks hesitantly.

"Yeah. If I don't do _something, _I'll drive myself crazy," I answer firmly.

"Allright. If, at any point, you want to stop, feel free to," He says. "You ready to go?"

I nod, and follow him. The hat he gave me keeps falling below my ears and over my eyes, and I feel tempted to take the annoying thing off. What's more, I had to leave Ezlo back in the bedroom, which I hope doesn't bother him.

"_Ezlo_?" I ask mentally, as we move towards a less populated portion of the village.

"_I can hear you Link. What do you need?" _He replies.

"_Uhm, nothing, just wanted to make sure you're okay," _I reply mentally. _"But actually, if there's a way that I could use magic to make my hat a bit smaller, that would be great."_

"_Hmm. I think you could pull that off. You know the symbol for diminishment? Draw one of those, and pour power into it. You shouldn't have any problems, provided you have enough energy,"_ Ezlo replies.

"_Thanks," _I reply gratefully.

"Can we stop for a second?" I ask Reckly.

"Why?" He asks, frowning.

"I'm going to try to shrink my hat," I answer honestly.

He laughs, and says, "Go for it."

Smiling, I pull off my hat and place it on the ground. Then, feeling a bit foolish, I use my light to draw the diminishment symbol, which is basically just a large sequence of spirals that all lead to a single point, not unlike the portals. As I pour energy into the symbol, it glows with warm magic.

"Wow," Reckly gasps.

Smiling, I continue pouring energy into the symbol. Very, very slowly, the hat begins shrinking, growing smaller and smaller. When it looks about the right size, I stop pouring energy into the symbol, and allow it to fade away. Hesitantly, I put it on my head. It fits almost perfectly now.

"That's incredible," Reckly says, eyes wide.

"Yeah. I love magic," I reply wistfully.

Reclky smiles at me, and we continue onwards. Eventually, we get into an area where there's just a long, solid wall with holes cut into it, like swiss cheese. I can see a few other miners, digging away at the wall, singing happy songs as they go.

"So, it's pretty simple. You just start digging, wherever you want to. Be careful, if you go too fast you might hit whatever it is you're trying to dig out," Reckly explains.

"What are we looking for?"

"Oh, whatever you can find. Ideally, you'd dig out some Picolyte, which, well, you'll know it if you see it. But there are all sorts of interesting things in this mountain. Don't feel disappointed if you can't find anything. Just… just focus for a bit. Try to _feel _where you should be digging. Follow your instincts."

I nod, and close my eyes, to help me focus. I find myself naturally opening up my inner light, and seeing what it tells me.

"You're… you're glowing," Reckly breathes. I nod, and continue focusing. I can almost feel my light resonate with things around me. It's like the magic gives me a type of sight, where I can see magic in the areas around me. There are little blobs of it all around me in the mountain. But in the wall a few feet to the left of me, I can see a _huge _clump of magic.

Gasping, I open my eyes and look down to the left. The wall is exposed, but no one is working even close to the area where I saw the magic.

"Uhm, is it okay if I dig over there?" I ask, pointing.

"Sure. Do you want some help?" Reckly offers.

"No thanks, I'll try on my own." He nods, and shuffles away to work on a different part of the wall.

I move over to the wall, and begin digging the axe into it. It's hard, heavy work, and I can barely swing the axe hard enough to dig into the wall. But I push forwards, knowing that the magic I saw is only a few feet away. I dig for hours and hours, and cover only a few feet. When it comes to be midday, Reckly pulls me aside.

"Hey, you've done pretty well!" He says, smiling. "But you should take a lunch break. Here, I brought some dried meat for you." He hands me a small bag, filled with more of the dried meat, and a bit of dried fruit.

"Thank you," I say gratefully. The food is, of course, some of the best I've ever eaten. I wolf it down as fast as I can though, because I think I'm getting close to the magic I saw.

While Reckly is still eating, I keep digging. After about three strikes, I get the axe right where the magic should be. My axe hits what feels like a hard shell.

"Uhm, I think I found something," I mumble.

"Really?" Reckly asks, sounding excited.

"Yeah. It's like a shell, or something."

Reckly's eyes go wide, and, sounding amazed, he says, "If you're right, then you've found yourself a pod of Picolyte. That's… that's incredible. It's been almost two years since anyone's dug up any that's usable. Here, let me dig it out for you. It has to be done in a very particular way."

I nod, and move out of the way. For the next hour, Reckly uses his axe to carefully pull dirt away from the object I found. Slowly, it begins to take shape. It looks somewhat like an egg, but much larger, with a glossy texture and with odd shades of green and blue that wander all down it. As he works, other miners come and stare at the object in awe.

Finally, he gently uses both hands to pull it out, holding onto it delicately.

"Link, you found a pod of Picolyte. I've never even seen one of these before," He says with a strange sort of reverence. "Here."

He hands it to me, and I hold onto it very carefully. It feels light, and delicate.

"Here, you open it by gently sliding your fingernail down this line," He explains, pointing at the small indentation on the top of the egg. Gently, I run my fingernail through the little hole at the top. The whole pod seems to shudder and, moving like it's alive, it cracks open and parts. On the inside, there are what looks like a lot of small, soft gems of all different colors.

There's almost a collective gasp from the miners surrounding us. One hesitantly reaches his arm in, and touches one of the gems.

"What… what is this stuff?" I ask.

"It's called Picolyte."

"What is Picolyte?"

"Let's get back home first. I'll explain then," He says quickly. I nod and carefully pull the pod back closed. Amazingly, it seals itself and the seam disappears. Without another word, we walk back to Reckly's home.

Surprisingly, there's no one waiting for us when we get back. The house is completely empty and silent.

"Oh, Sylvia and the kids are staying at her mom's place tonight. She's not been feeling well, and they like to take care of her. I would go, but, well, I can't afford to get sick right now," he explains awkwardly.

I nod. "So… what is this stuff?" I ask again.

"It's called Piccolyte. It's very rare, and the main reason that we mine is to find it. It's… well, it's the corner stone of our society."

"Why?"

"Because it… Ugh, I don't know quite how to put this without making it sound… weird. Piccolyte is a substance that every mountain minish eats at least once. When you eat Piccolyte, it makes you bigger, and stronger. It's why we're all so tall. Well, that, and you are _really _short, too. We've been eating the substance for so long that our bodies have come to rely on it. So if a mountain minish doesn't eat Piccolyte by a certain age, they stop growing, and then, they actually start getting smaller, and if you wait too long, then it causes… problems," He says nervously.

"Like what?"

"Well, if you wait for too long, then Piccolyte doesn't fix the shrinking, it just makes it stop happening. And if you wait even longer, then it doesn't even make it stop. That's only happened once, when a minish decided to never eat Piccolyte. It was horrible. He stopped growing, and he got really, really small. He was only a few feet tall when he gave in, and ate some. But no matter how much Piccolyte we fed him, he wouldn't stop shrinking. He eventually became so small that he was... you know how little we are in comparison to humans? He was that size, only to minish. He kept getting smaller and smaller until he was just gone," He whispers.

"Oh. But you said that you hadn't found any Piccolyte in the last two years…" I murmur, my whole body going cold. The thought of people being so diminished that they just disappear is terrifying to me.

"It takes a lot longer than two years for that kind of thing to happen."

"Still, there have to be some people who haven't had any yet. So here," I reply, trying to hand him the pod. He pushes it back into my hands.

"Link, I can't accept that. You're the one who found it, you keep it," He says gently.

"I have no use for Piccolyte. And you have people who might need this eventually."

"Link, I don't think you understand exactly what this substance does. It accelerates growth beyond what's normal. And, for us, it removes a natural barrier that causes us not to be able to grow. That's… that's what your curse is, isn't it? Something that prevents you from growing. Maybe if you ate these, you could return to being normal."

The concept is incredibly enticing. But still, something's bothering me. These people all _seem _happy, but there's always been a certain level of fear. Especially from Reckly.

"There's someone who needs this Piccolyte, isn't there?" I ask quietly.

Reckly looks at me for a moment, then nods.

"Who?"

"My kids," He says, his voice cracking. "They're twelve years old, and they've never had any. They still look like they're eight, and they keep asking why the other kids are bigger. I've been trying to find it for so long, but every time I get a little gem, it turns black almost instantly, and crumbles away. I haven't the heart to tell them that I'm the reason they're so stunted."

"Please Reckly, take these," I mumble, pushing the pod at him.

He just shakes his head. "They're yours, and they could fix your curse. I couldn't take them away from you."

"When I asked if you would accept charity from a stranger, you said you would, because you'd do the same for them. Well, now that our roles are reversed, you're just going to have to accept this charity, because there's no way I can use these when I know they'll help your kids. You're a good person, and you've done so much for me. This is just my way of returning the favor," I say, smiling. Once more, I try to hand him the pod, and once more, he doesn't accept it.

"It looks like there are over a hundred in there. I'll just take the two I need, and leave the rest to you," He says hesitantly.

"Are there any other people who've never eaten Piccolyte?" I ask sternly.

He nods, and replies, "There are sixteen children in our village who've never eaten Piccolyte."

"Then take sixteen of them," I grin.

He smiles too, and runs his fingernail down the seam, opening the pod. Carefully, he pulls sixteen of the little gems out, and places them on the table. He then grabs another one, and puts it in my hand.

"Here, I'd feel a lot better if you ate the first one."

I nod, and wrap my hand around the soft gem. Suddenly, I'm reminded of the last time I ate something magical from the minish world. It was the most disgusting thing I've ever had the misfortune of putting in my mouth.

"Do they… taste okay?" I ask childishly.

Reckly laughs. "They're wonderful."

I smile, and place the little gem in my mouth. As Reckly said, they really are delicious. It tastes like eating pure power. I crunch down on it, releasing a juice that causes the whole thing to liquify in my mouth. Hesitantly, I swallow the liquid. And, as it hits my stomach, I can feel myself start to grow.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Unlike the portal transformations, the Piccolyte doesn't cause me to grow at an incredibly quick rate. Instead, my body fills with heat, and very slowly expands. My muscles grow bigger, and my thin form gets a bit more stocky. I can actually feel myself grow stronger, and as I look down at my body, I can see my pinched, starved appearance fade as my muscles grow more defined. After a few moments, the heat abruptly stops. I find myself about an inch taller, and a lot stronger.

"Wow," I whisper, looking down at myself. Instead of looking like a thin kid in overalls, I look a bit older, and I have a lot more muscle. But what's more, I _feel _great. I can tell that I'm stronger, and it's as though the little piece of Piccolyte cured every problem my harsh traveling gave me.

"It didn't work," Reckly says, sighing.

"That was amazing. And look! I have actual muscles now," I say happily, holding up my arms.

Reckly laughs. "I'm glad you're happy. But usually, Piccolyte grows people a lot more than that. And it lasts for almost an hour. I'm guessing that your curse prevented the piccolyte from running its course."

"Well, either way, I feel a lot better. And I really do appreciate having a bit of actual strength. I used to be so much stronger."

"Yeah. I can't imagine, what it must feel like…" Reckly mumbles, his voice trailing off. Despite himself, he looks on me with curiosity.

"You're wondering about me, aren't you?" I ask gently. "You're curious about what happened to me." He's silent for a moment, then nods guilty. I can't help but laugh. "It's really okay. I don't mind telling you my story. I have to warn you, it's a rather long one. But I don't like keeping secrets."

He smiles, and replies, "I've never been one for secrets either."

I sit myself down on the couch, and for a long time, I simply tell him of everything that's happened. I only omit one thing; my father's race. I can't help but worry that if I tell them I'm Dharkin, they'll treat me as such. He's very sympathetic to me, and, when I'm finally done, he says, "I'm sorry. I feel as though we're very similar, in some respects. Sure, we come from different worlds. But you're a father who loves his family very dearly, and who loves the work he does to support them."

"I was all of those things. Now look at me," I reply, disgusted.

"It's not your fault, Link. There's nothing you could've done to stop this from happening. And even then, I can't believe how you've managed to push yourself forwards. If something like that happened to me… I would be absolutely useless. And you've done so many great things. You've been here all of two days, and you've already fixed a horrible fear we've had for a long, long time."

"Thanks," I whisper. And before I can stop, I find myself saying, "There's something else I didn't tell you. My mom is minish, but she grew up in the human world. And my dad… my dad was Dharkin."

He looks at me curiously for a few moments. Finally, he asks, "And?"

"That means I'm half Dharkin. I belong to the most universally hated race in existence," I stutter.

Rickly shrugs, and says, "You're a nice guy, and you clearly don't have the shared memory. I don't see why it's any issue. You know, it's actually kind of useful. You obviously don't need as much food, or sleep, and I'm betting you were pretty tall, and strong."

"But… I'm Dharkin!" I exclaim, making him jump. "You're supposed to hate me! Everyone's supposed to hate me!"

"Why does it matter what race you belong to?" He asks gently. "It doesn't change who you are."

I look at him for a few moments, trying to make sense of his response. Finally, I close my eyes, and mumble, "I don't know who I am anymore."

Reckly smiles, and pats me on the head. "Well, I know who you are. You're a hero."

I can't help but laugh at his statement. The real world doesn't _have _heroes. They exist as legends and bedtime stories, meant to inspire us to be greater. And even if there was such thing as heroes, they wouldn't be small, pathetic children.

"I'm serious Link. You fight with nobility and honor for what's right. You go around the world saving people. And, at least in my family, you will always be remembered," He says sincerely. "Link, I can't even tell you how amazing of a gift that Piccolyte is. Since all the stuff we found started turning black, I've been so afraid for my kids. But now I don't have to be, because of you. And there are ten other fathers and mothers in this village who can now say the same thing. The King of Hyrule sits in his throne because you saved him. The forest minish are alive and well because you killed the spider that was suppressing them. It doesn't matter what age you are, or what race you are. You're a hero."

"You give me far too much credit. I only gave you those-" As I'm pointing to the Piccolyte on the table, I cut myself off. Instead of the sixteen we left there, there's only one. And it's slowly turning a deep, dark black.

"No!" Reckly screams, frustrated. "Those ones are bad too!"

"Shh," I whisper, holding my hand to my lips. He looks completely heartbroken, and angry, but he nods silently. The gem continues to turn black, and the ends of it slowly crumble off, becoming specks of darkness that float away, out the door. Like pure darkness, riding on an inexplicable gust.

"I've seen something like this before. Grab your axe and follow me," I instruct softly. He nods, and does as I say, also picking up my little axe too. Very, very quietly, I follow the little black specks. They move slowly, and unlike the ones from the forest, they can't seem to move through the walls.

Eventually, they lead us back to the center of the village. We have to jump over one of the rivers of magma, into a large, square space that's surrounded by rivers on all four sides. The black specks go directly into the middle, and drop down a tiny, little hole, not unlike a hole in a portal.

"We need to see where those are going. Is it okay to dig here?" I ask quietly.

"I don't care if it is or not," Reckly replies firmly. He gently moves me out of the way, and slams his axe straight into the hole.

The blow causes the earth to rumble and, as though it's a layer of ice, it cracks all around us. Slowly, the cracks get wider, and the earth starts pouring down what looks to be a large pit at the center. The earth falls faster and faster, quickly forcing me to back up.

"Run Reckly!" I shout. He shakes his head, but his whole body is quivering. It's the dead of night, and there's no one here to witness what we're seeing.

"Get on the other side of the river!" I say instead. He nods, and nimbly leaps over the magma, landing safely on the other side, where the ground isn't cracking. I look down below, into the darkness, and I have no idea how big the pit is. But I know that I won't be able to see what's happening unless I let myself fall. So rather than jumping, I simply wait for the crumbling ground to take me with it.

"Come on Link!" He shouts nervously.

"No. I need to stop whatever's happening here," I reply firmly.

"You won't survive!"

"I'm already dead," I whisper, far too low for him to hear. As the ground I'm standing on falls, I close my eyes.

I fall for a few seconds, then hit hard stone. The fall is long enough that it really should kill me, but the second I hit the ground, a massive burst of magical light flows out of my body, absorbing the impact for me. Grunting, I rise to my feet, and look around.

As the last of the dirt falls, the magma in the rivers slowly pours down the side. As it separates from the rest of the river, the magma almost instantly becomes stone, coating the walls around me in new, hard rock. Eventually, the magma forms a sort of rim around the rivers, keeping them in place.

Hesitantly, I walk forwards, towards the center of this pit. In the middle, I see a massive glob of pure darkness. It churns around again and again, moving as though it's alive.

"What are you?" I ask slowly. The darkness stops all at once, but doesn't give any sort of reply.

"What are you?!" I shout.

Slowly, the darkness stands itself up, forming a sort of human outline. Only it's gigantic, dwarfing even the mountain minish. Slowly, the figure gains a bit of color and form, becoming more purple-ish, and a few of its features, like mouth and its fingers, solidify. Lastly, a pair of dark, black eyes fill the empty sockets on its face.

"I… am… alive," It says slowly, its voice sounding distorted. "I… am finally alive. I have gathered for so long, and I... will gather more, to create a body that shames what I lost. And my... master will be pleased with me. He will let me continue to... live."

"You can't keep taking the Piccolyte. Without it, the minish will die," I instruct, my voice quaking. This creature is so massive that I'm the barely the size of its foot. Why must every enemy I face be so large?

"You. You are… Link," It hisses. "You are the great destroyer. You will not stop me again. I will crush you, and my master... will be pleased."

Slowly, it brings one of its massive feet down towards me. I nimbly jump away from it, though the mere footstep quakes the earth.

"Link run!" Reckly screams from far above.

"Get everyone to safety! I'll hold it off!" I shout as loud as I can.

"You will… not. You will die," The thing replies. It reaches one of its hands towards me and, terrified, I run backwards from it, to escape. But it has a long reach, and very soon, I can't run backwards anymore. As I try to run from it along the wall, it snatches me up, wrapping its hand around me and pinning my arms to my side. Slowly, it raises me up into the air, and brings me close to its deep black eyes. It turns me around a few times, as though inspecting me. Finally, it says, "I was wrong. Link was… a warrior. You are just a child."

Red, hot anger courses through me. This creature is about to kill me, and it doesn't have the _decency _to show me a little respect. It's taking my life and calling it worthless, and beyond that, it's telling me that I'm not the warrior I once was. In my anger, I see, with clarity, one, simple fact. I am and will always be Link, the head guard of the king, the protector of the kingdom, the slayer of Dharkin.

I am Link, the great destroyer.

Smiling, I let my anger overflow, granting me power. With a loud pop, the creatures hand literally explodes as fire bursts out of me. The hand evaporates into thin air, leaving no trace, and I fall lightly to the ground.

The creature screams and clutches the stump on the end of its arm with its other hand, though no blood of any sort pours out. Smiling, I push my magic outwards, letting my anger transform it into pure flame. A ball of fire rockets out of my outstretched hand, flying upwards into the creature's chest and slamming it against the wall.

Roaring, the creature swings its good arm at me, intending to grab me once more. I jump into the air, and as I do, fire forms below my feet, pushing me upwards. Smiling, I use the fire to throw me further and further into the air, until I'm standing on the ledge of the deep, dark pit. The creature tries to jump out after me, but it can't reach me.

I close my eyes, really focusing on my magic. I can feel the raw power within me, and suddenly, I can feel the power of the room as well. There are rivers of heat and melted rock, surrounding me on all sides. Rivers of magma that could slay this foul beast. And now, steeped within a strange mixture of anger and magic, I know that those rivers are _mine_.

I gather my magical power, and prepare myself for the deadly strike against the creature. But before I kill it, I open my mouth, and in a voice amplified by the power I wield, I say some of the darkest words I've ever said.

"Fear me, spirit. Fear the power running through my veins. Fear the everlasting death that I bring. And know that I am and will always be Link, the great destroyer."

Smiling, I let out all of my pent up power in one final attack against this pitiful beast.

The rivers of magma burst from their containment, and immediately begin rushing down the pit. As the molten rock collides with the creature, it screams, filling the world with a cruel, unearthly sound. I know, however, that if I let it live, that creature will continue to steal the power of the Piccolyte until all of the mountain minish are dead. It is a dark spirit, of evil and corruption.

And I've never liked ghosts.

The rivers continue running into the pit, slowly filling it up. The dark form of the creature is melted and scattered among the flowing pool of magma, and by the time it reaches the top, I can't make out any darkness in the mass of glowing red rock. Slowly, I let my control drip away, and the magma stops flowing into the pit. Eventually, the rivers refill themselves with magma and continue running, and the massive pool of molten rock I just created dries, forming a layer of solid stone that contains the corpse of that creature.

As the magic and the anger leave my system, I'm overcome with a heavy exhaustion. Gasping, I fall to my knees, and try as hard as I can to keep conscious.

"Link!" Reckly screams. I look over, and see that throughout this whole thing, he hasn't moved. He's been watching this whole time. Suddenly, I'm worried about what he'll think of me after what he just saw. I guess he'll probably think I'm a monster, for what I've done.

He jumps over the magma river and onto the stone I just created. Swiftly, he runs across it and jumps the other river, skidding to a stop next to me.

"I'm sorry," I mumble, filled with shame.

"For what? Link, that… that _thing _was terrifying. And you saved us from it," he says, almost laughing in relief. "I can't thank you enough for that."

"You're not… scared of me?" I ask hesitantly.

"No Link. I'm shocked, and a bit shaken up by what I just saw. But I'm not _afraid_ of you. You're my friend."

"Thanks Reckly," I say happily.

"You look like you're fighting to keep your eyes open right now, and I really don't blame you. So… just let yourself sleep. Don't worry, I'll carry you back home, and explain to everyone what happened," He says comfortingly.

I nod, and close my eyes. Reckly gently picks me up, and holds me in his warm fur. Slowly, I begin drifting off to sleep. "I told you you were a hero, little guy," Reckly whispers, patting me on the head once more. I try to open my mouth and tell him that he's wrong, but I'm far too tired to do anything complex, like speaking. So instead, I just shake my head, and let my tiredness claim me.

I awaken in a soft, warm bed. I look around, and am relieved to see the familiar sights of Reckly's house. This place has become a place of comfort, and peace to me.

I stretch myself out, and turn to leave the room. But before I do, I see Ezlo, sitting on the floor. With a jolt, I realize that he's been here alone all this time. Guiltily, I walk over to him and say, "Hi."

He pulls his eyes and beak out, and looks at me blankly.

"I'm sorry I haven't… talked to you, or anything, for a while," I mumble awkwardly.

"It's quite alright, Link. I'm an old man, with many memories to keep me company," he replies.

"Would you mind if I put you back on my head?" I ask gently.

He smiles in relief, and says, "Please. I've been bored to death."

Laughing, I place him back on my head, and I exit the room. In the living room, it's just Reckly once more, and from his helmet and his axe, it looks like he was just about to leave to go do some mining. At seeing me, he puts his things down, and, smiling, he says, "If you didn't snore so loud, I'd have been worried you were dead."

"How long was I out?" I ask.

"Oh, about two and half days," He replies. I nod, unsurprised. I expended a lot of magic, and that can wear me out in a way that nothing else can.

"Did… did that monster ever come back?" I ask nervously.

Reckly laughs. "Of course not. You melted it into a pool of lava. I don't think _anything _could've survived that."

I nod, relieved. Reckly is silent for a few moments, then says, "Ever since you killed that thing, we've been finding Piccolyte everywhere. And none of it turns black anymore. Yesterday, I actually found some while I was mining. Not a whole pod, like you, but a few gems. I gave them to Kreck and Leck, and they were thrilled that they're as tall as the other kids now, and that they actually look the right age. I told everyone about how you killed the monster that was ruining the Piccolyte, and if you hadn't, we'd never have any more Piccolyte, and we wouldn't survive. Almost everyone in the town has come by at some point, to thank you."

"It's really not that big of a deal…" I mumble. As a guard, I did my duty without ever receiving thanks, and I didn't expect any either. So hearing that so many people are grateful makes me feel… odd.

"Link, if you hadn't have come along, our entire village would've been snuffed out by that… thing. It would've continued using up all the Piccolyte, and every child who'd never had any would've shrunken out of existence. You saved so many lives Link. Including the lives of my kids. It's a very, very big deal, and you deserve more gratitude than I can possibly give you," Reckly says gently. Smiling, he pulls some dried fruit out of the cupboard and puts it on a plate for me.

"Thank you," I say happily, eating the fruit. "So, are we going to do more mining today?"

Reckly sighs. "You really need to learn that it's okay to rest every once in a while. I can't even imagine how much effort it took to do all that stuff with the fire, and the magma, and such. You're exhausted, Link. So no, we're not going to do more mining. You're going to sit here on this couch and let me take care of you today," He says firmly.

"Okay, I promise I'll just relax for the day. But you don't have to stay here," I reply.

"Ever since our Piccolyte started turning black, I've been working like mad to try and find some for my kids. It's been a long, long time since I just spent the day with my family," Reckly says, smiling.

"Oh. Here, I'll leave, so that you can," I mumble, standing up.

Reckly starts laughing. "I wasn't saying you should go away, Link. If anything, you've become a part of this family. At least, if that doesn't bother you... It's been wonderful having you here, these past few days, and I know that it's hard for you to return home. So just know that you'll always have a place here, with us. Your presence isn't an inconvenience. It's a gift."

"You think far too highly of me," I murmur, sitting back down.

"No, I think you don't give yourself enough credit," Reckly replies. Despite the fact that I know he's wrong, his kind words warm my heart. I like Reckly, and it feels nice, to have him believe in me.

For the rest of the day, I do as he says, and let him and his family tend to me while I simply relax. His kids have grown a _lot_, and when I first see them, one asks me, "Have you gotten smaller?" I can't help but smile at how happy the Piccolyte has made them. They don't feel different from the other kids anymore, and they can't stop talking about the fact that their dad is going to teach them how to mine. It reminds me of my son, who wanted so much to be like me, and who was always asking me to teach him how to fight. But I thought he was too young, and so I never did. And now, I never will.

People drop by occasionally, to offer me their gratitude and to ask if there's anything they can do for me. I feel awkward, receiving thanks from these complete strangers, and I politely refuse all of their offers. But almost every one of them calls me by name, tells me that I will always be welcome in their home, and tells me that they will never forget what I've done for them.

At the end of the day, when the visits have long since stopped, I hear a tentative knock at the door.

"It's probably for you," Reckly says, smiling. Sighing, I open the door, expecting to find another miner or smith and his family. Instead, I find myself face to face with what appears to be the oldest minish I've ever seen. Well, at least, the oldest _mountain _minish. The elder of the forest village looked a lot like this minish does, except for the light differences in race.

"I take it you're Link?" He asks gently. I nod and, despite myself, perform a bow. I've been taught all my life to bow to nobility. I don't think I could change that habit if I tried.

"Ah. You failed to mention that he was human, Reckly," The elder says accusingly.

"I'm not, sir. I just grew up in the human world," I explain quickly. I wouldn't want Reckly to get in trouble for my sake.

"Oh, I know. No human has eyes quite like that. Just giving him a hard time," He replies jovially. "Sorry, I can't stay long. Just have time for a few things. I would offer you my thanks, but I'm guessing you've gotten a lot of that today already." I nod, a bit relieved.

"Well, instead, let me just offer you this." Smiling, he hands me the cane he's been using as a walking stick.

"Uhm, thank you, but I don't really have need for a cane…" I mumble.

"It's not just a cane, little one. It's a minish artifact, known as the Cane of Pacci. It's said to contain great powers, though all it's done for me is give me some nasty nightmares. Living with it this long has given me a sense of… prophecy, you could say. The second I heard what you'd done for us, I knew that you needed this cane. Don't worry, I can walk quite well without it," He says, smiling.

I nod, and I let him place the yellow, crooked cain in my hands. It's almost as tall as I am, just like my last staff. And as it makes contact with my skin, it starts vibrating, and it glows for a few seconds.

"Well, look at that! It likes you," The elder laughs. I smile, and run my hands over the cane. I can feel magic within the it, and hopefully, it'll be as useful as my last one.

"Now, there's one more thing. I kept hearing the same words over and over again, in my dream last night, and I think I'm supposed to tell you. I'm not sure. Perhaps it's just gibberish. But, regardless, it was, "The way forward is never barred to one who can change his shape."

"Huh?" I ask, confused.

"The way forward is never barred to one who can change his shape," the elder repeats. "Like I said, it might not mean anything. But I've learned to listen to my dreams, however strange they may sound."

"Err, thank you," I mumble, though I have absolutely no idea what it means.

The elder nods, and replies, "I'd best be going. Enjoy this rest, Link. You will need it for what is to come."

With that, he walks out of the room.

"Do you have any idea what that means?" I ask Reckly hesitantly.

He shakes his head. "No idea what it's talking about. I guess the bit about the way being barred could refer to the fact that you're stuck here. But I don't see how changing your shape could stop the snow."

"Right. You said no one could make it through that storm. At least, no one except a mountain minish…" My voice trails off. Suddenly, like light descending from above, I suddenly understand _exactly _what those words mean. I am one who can change my shape. And that means that I can get through the storm.

"I… I think I got it!" I exclaim, laughing. "Can you take me back out to the portal where you found me?"

"Link, it's really late. It'll be pitch black out there, and the cold will be worse than ever. Whatever you want to try, it can wait until morning," Reckly says gently. I nod, a bit subdued.

"Well, I was going to save this for later, but since you might be leaving…" Sylvia says, smiling. Carefully, she reaches into the back of one of her cupboards, and pulls out a long , thick sheet of a strange, brown stuff. She breaks off a large chunk of it and places it in my hand. It's cold, and soft. She breaks up the rest of it, and divies it out to everyone else.

"What's this?" I ask curiously.

"You've never had chocolate before?" Kreck (or maybe Leck) asks, frowning.

I shake my head. "I don't think that humans _have _chocolate. It smells wonderful, though."

"Well here," He says, trying to hand me his piece. "I get chocolate all the time."

"Thank you," I mumble, a bit touched. "But I've got plenty."

He leans over, and with his long arm, sticks it in my pants pocket. "There. Now you have some for later," He says, grinning.

I reach my hand into my pocket, so that I can hand it back to him. But Reckly shakes his head at me, and says, "You really need to learn to accept a gift, little guy."

I nod, and keep the chocolate in my pocket. "Thank you," I say sincerely. Then, hesitantly, I bite into the piece Sylvia gave me.

The substance is incredible. So… _sweet._ And it has a creamy, milky surface that seems to melt in my mouth. I don't think there's any real nutrition in this chocolate, but I can't help but smile at how very wonderful it tastes.

"That's wonderful," I mumble, biting off another piece.

Reckly laughs. "I can't believe they don't have this in the human world. Whenever I was down, chocolate always made me feel better. It's like the universal comfort food."

"It really is delicious," I reply, putting the last piece in my mouth.

"Yeah. I think you deserve a bit of comfort, after everything you've done for us," Reckly says, patting me on the back. I smile, and despite myself, I yawn.

"You probably should get some sleep, so you're rested for whatever it is you want to try," Reckly says, patting me on the back. I nod, and follow him back to my bed. He gently tucks me in, and pats me on the head. "Goodnight little guy."

"Goodnight Reckly," I reply, smiling. I close my eyes, and fall asleep almost immediately.


End file.
